


smile down upon your home

by laminy



Series: and the night followed day, and the story tellers say [16]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Coming Untouched, Domestic Fluff, Goodbyes, Light Angst, M/M, Moving In Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:01:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 46,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22775311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laminy/pseuds/laminy
Summary: Gwil and Ben pack up in London, and finally make the move to Aberystwyth.(takes place in September 2041)
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Gwilym Lee, Rami Malek/Joe Mazzello
Series: and the night followed day, and the story tellers say [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1438129
Comments: 52
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> « the majority of this story is rated teen, but the rating and tags will be updated when that changes »

Ben blows out his lips, reaching out to take Gwil’s hand as the four of them walk out of the building.

“I will say,” Joe says, “it had a nice kitchen. That’s— I mean, that’s great. Gwil’s a cook! Kitchens are important.”

“The bedrooms weren’t big enough,” Gwil says.

“I admit, that was hard to tell from the website,” Rami says.

“One of the bedrooms had a _sink_ in it,” Ben says, and Gwil stifles a laugh.

“That was also very hard to tell from the website,” Rami says. “I’m sorry, alright?”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Gwil says, “it’s certainly a great location.” He nods and points ahead. “Just a short walk to campus.”

“And right beside a dumpling place,” Joe says, gesturing towards the restaurant. “Ooh,” he glances at his watch, “do we have time for dumplings before we go see the next one?”

“It’s takeaway only,” Ben says, and Joe groans loudly.

“There’s probably somewhere closer to the next flat,” Rami says. “Or we can just walk around and kill time.”

“Up to you, love,” Gwil says, squeezing Ben’s hand. 

“I— I’m fine,” Ben shrugs, “whatever.”

Gwil frowns a bit, and then he looks up at Rami and Joe. “Go on ahead,” he says, nodding, “we’ll just be a minute behind.”

“Uh, okay,” Joe says, and he looks at Rami, who just nods. They turn, walking ahead, Joe checking his phone for the directions to the next flat.

“Love,” Gwil says gently, “there's no reason to be upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Ben says, “not really. Mildly annoyed, maybe.” He looks up at Gwil. “It wasn’t…great.”

“No,” Gwil says, “it wasn’t. But, well, I could certainly live there for a year. If we had to.”

“The bedroom had a sink, Gwil,” Ben says. “That’s— what’s even the point of that? It’s weird.”

Gwil grins, and lets go of Ben’s hand to wrap his arm around his waist, pulling him in. “We could clean-up after shagging and not even have to leave the room.”

“Oh god,” Ben mutters, and Gwil laughs loudly. “Do you think that’s why Rami suggested it?”

“No,” Gwil says, “I don’t think it was in the photos. Just a lucky coincidence.”

“Right,” Ben says. “Well, forgive me if I would prefer to skip that one.”

“Better or worse than the first one this morning?” Gwil asks. "Which do you prefer?"

Ben sighs, reaching up to scrub his hand over his hair, having grown it out a bit, his curls a little messy. “I don’t know,” he says. “The first one, probably. No sink.”

“Bit further away from uni, though,” Gwil says.

Ben shrugs. “ _Bit further_ still only means a twenty minute walk in this town. I didn’t mind it really. This one has a bit more around it, but still.” He looks up at Gwil, giving him a small smile. “Sorry,” he says, “I know I’m just being down. Either of them would be fine for a year.”

“Yeah?” Gwil asks. Ben nods. “Alright,” Gwil says. “I think we’re going to luck into something with the next one, but if we don’t, anywhere is fine with me, alright? You choose.”

Ben smiles. “As long as you’re with me, it's alright?” he asks.

Gwil grins and leans in, giving Ben a kiss. “Something like that,” he says. “Now come on,” he looks up towards Rami and Joe, “let’s catch up before they run off.”

Ben laughs softly. “They’re not going anywhere interesting here,” he says, “I can almost guarantee it.”

“Do you really not like it here?” Gwil asks.

“I—” Ben sighs, and looks around, “well, I don’t know that we’ve seen enough for me to say that. It’s just…it reminds me of Sherborne, really. It’s small.” He frowns a bit. “I’m worried you’ll be bored.”

“Not me,” Gwil says, smiling. He tugs Ben in closer, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I’m sure I’ll find loads to do, I don’t mind it at all.” He keeps smiling. “Cheer up, love. As small as it is, it’s going to be our new home, yes?”

Ben nods. “Yes,” he says, “you’re right.” He snuggles against Gwil’s side. “I grew up in a small town, I can last for another year, I’m sure.”

“Good lad,” Gwil says, voice low, and Ben smiles, blushing a bit.

“Ooh, guys!” Joe calls out from in front of them, turning around to walk backwards. “If we turn down there,” he says, gesturing to the left, “there’s a fish and chips place!”

“Sound alright?” Gwil asks, and Ben nods. “Perfect!” Gwil calls ahead, and Joe grins, giving them both a thumbs up. “See?” Gwil asks, looking back at Ben. “How bad can it be? They've got fish and chips!"

“No, it’s alright,” Ben says, looking around at the buildings; everything seems so old-fashioned to him. This place is nothing like London.

\+ + + + +

The four of them cross the street, and walk down the sidewalk, Rami checking the numbers on the buildings.

“This part of the street is closed,” Joe says, looking around. There are no cars on that section, just people, walking around and crossing the street without looking. “That’s kind of cool, right? It’ll be quiet, at least.”

“I guess so,” Ben says, nodding. “I do live on a busy road.”

“And Starbucks!” Joe says, waving towards the building. “That’s great. _Someone_ will be able to get out of bed in the morning.” Then he hurries forward a bit. “Oh my god, a pizza place! So close. I wonder if it’s good. Why did we already eat? What the hell.”

“It’s there,” Rami says.

“ _In_ the pizza place?” Joe asks, eyes wide.

“Next to it,” Rami says, pointing to a nondescript building, grey in colour; well, actually, grey in _two_ colours— the bottom floor of the building is painted a dark grey, and the top two floors are painted a lighter shade.

“Okay, okay,” Joe says, nodding, glancing back at Ben and Gwil. “I mean, pizza and a Starbucks, I really don’t think you’re going to get more ‘downtown’ than this. Not in this place!”

“He’s probably right about that, love,” Gwil says, looking around the street. “It’s nice.”

“Does someone live on the first floor?” Ben asks.

Joe shrugs. “Does it matter? Living above a store doesn’t bother us. Come _on_ , Ben, let’s see it first, okay? So what if it’s— plain.” He smiles at Ben. “Maybe it’s really nice inside.”

“Sure,” Ben says. “I’m— I’m not saying no, am I?” He sighs, and looks around. “I wouldn’t mind living next to a pizza place. Not sure we’ll be able to get Joe to leave, though.”

Rami grins at that, and the four of them walk up to the door, hitting the button to buzz in.

"Hello?"

Gwil leans forward, his hand on Ben's lower back, giving him a quick smile. "Gwilym Lee and Ben Hardy. Is this Dave?"

"Absolutely, come on up! Take the stairs."

The door buzzes, and Rami eagerly pulls it open, leading the way. They look around, see a door on the right, presumably to the first-floor flat, and then the stairs in front of them. Rami and Joe glance back at Ben and Gwil, who are looking around, taking in the plain walls.

"Shouldn't you guys be up here?" Joe asks, and Gwil smiles at Ben, and then squeezes past Rami and Joe, followed by Ben, taking the lead. They come to a a heavy looking brown door, and then before they can knock, it opens, and they come face to face with a man, dark brown hair and eyes, with a large friendly smile on his face.

"Gwilym?" Dave asks, looking at Ben, and Gwil raises his hand. "Gwilym!" He offers his hand to Gwil, shaking it heartily, and then he holds it out to Ben.

"Ben Hardy," Ben says, sounding a bit shy but wearing a polite smile. "These are our mates, Rami and Joe."

"Come on in," Dave says, turning around, walking back into the flat. Ben looks back at Joe and Rami, eyes wide, and the four of them follow Dave into the flat, Joe trying not to laugh at Ben's expression.

"Oh wow," is the first thing out of Ben's mouth.

"Right?" Dave asks, looking around. "It's quite nice, isn't it?"

Ben looks around, nodding slowly. The front door opens into what the current tenants have set up as the dining area, large windows facing the street letting in bright light. 

"I like this, love," Gwil says quietly, looking at Ben, who just nods again.

"I'll leave you to look around a bit," Dave says, "but as I'm sure you can see down here is the kitchen, and they have their dining table here, and living area over there. Upstairs are the bedrooms and the bathroom."

"I like it," Rami says, echoing Gwil's words, and he walks away from the group, looking out the window to the street below.

"Let me know if you have any questions," Dave says, and he pulls out a chair at the dining table, sitting down.

"Thank you," Gwil says, and he walks into the kitchen, opening a couple cupboard doors, running his hands over the counter-tops. 

"Well," Joe says, shifting closer to Ben, "what do you think about this? Nicer than it looks from the outside, huh."

"Yeah, really," Ben says. "Even nicer than the photos, I…this is really nice."

Joe looks around. "You don't cook, so you don't care about the kitchen. Let's go upstairs and check out the _most_ important room." Ben rolls his eyes, but he follows behind Joe anyway, heading up the stairs. 

"Gwil," Rami says, walking over to him, watching as Gwil slowly walks around the living room. "Gwil, this is really lovely."

"It is," Gwil says. “I— I don't know how it’s…it’s quite nice."

"Dave?" Rami asks, and Dave perks up in his chair. "How far is the walk from here to the university?"

"About a mile," Dave says. 

"See?" Rami asks. "That's nothing. And you're only five minutes from the train station. What else is around here?" he asks, looking back at Dave.

"We're right in the town centre," Dave says, "so, loads of restaurants, pubs, about five minutes from Marks and Spencers, and Tesco. Great bookshop, not too far.”

"Cinema?" Rami asks. "How far is that?"

"Uh, five minutes," Dave says. "It's near the library."

Rami turns to Gwil, a huge grin on his face.

"Thank you, Dave," Gwil says, giving him a polite nod, turning back to Rami. "I know," he says. "Trust me, I know. It's brilliant."

"It's beautiful here," Rami says. "Look at it. Your things will fit in here so well. And Ben's. It's lovely." He reaches out, excitedly squeezing Gwil's hand. "Do you like it?"

"Honestly?" Gwil asks. "I love it."

"Yeah?" Rami asks, bouncing up on his feet a bit.

"It's gorgeous," Gwil says, looking around.

"Let's go upstairs!" Rami says, grinning at him, leading him up the stairs.

Gwil gives Dave another polite nod as they head to the second floor. In front of them is the door to the washroom, so Rami leads them there first.

"Oh, the bathtub is even deeper than it looked online!" Rami says, and he looks around. "It's nice. It looks new."

"The whole place looks new," Gwil says, looking around. "Gosh. I don’t— in London this place would cost thousands of pounds."

"It's cheaper here," Rami says. "It's a small town. This place is really nice, Gwil." He looks around a bit more, and then heads out of the bathroom, crossing the hall into one of the bedrooms, where he finds Joe. "Hi!"

"I already told Ben this is our room," Joe says, and Rami smiles at him, walking over to the window, looking out.

"It's perfect," Rami says. "Absolutely perfect."

"It's frigging great," Joe says. "Can we move with them?"

"Our flat is lovely too, Joe," Rami says, "and we've already agreed: we're not moving right now."

"Babe, _please_ ," Joe whines, and he wraps his arms around Rami, pulling him in.

"No, Joe," Rami says sternly, but he says it with a smile. "I do really like it here, though." He looks towards the door when he sees Gwil walk by, heading towards the second bedroom.

"Hello," Gwil says, ducking his head into the bedroom first, before walking in.

"Hi," Ben says, glancing over to Gwil from the wardrobe.

"Have they got a sink hidden in there?" Gwil asks, and Ben laughs, shaking his head.

"Not that I've seen," Ben says. "It's just a normal bedroom."

"A nice bedroom," Gwil says. "Good size."

Ben nods. "It's the bigger of the two."

"So," Gwil says softly, reaching out for Ben, "it'd be ours then."

Ben smiles up at him, letting Gwil pull him in. "It would, yes. A nice super king-sized bed, right here."

"That sounds nice," Gwil says. "So yours will go into the second room?" 

Ben nods. "Joe's claimed it for him and Rami.”

“Joe does love your bed,” Gwil says. and Ben laughs a bit.

“He does,” Ben says, “though I’m not sure how he feels about it when I’m not in it with him.”

Gwil grins. “Are you trying to make me jealous?” he asks.

Ben snorts. “Of Joe? Certainly not.” He looks around, thinking. “Joe and Rami will want to bring the baby with them,” he says. "If they visit."

Gwil chuckles. “Yes, I— I imagine they won’t be leaving them alone with Augie _just_ yet,” he says. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Ben says, “I just…we might need a cot then, for the baby? So Rami and Joe wouldn’t have to bring anything when they come to stay.”

Gwil smiles. “That sounds lovely. If you’d like.”

Ben shrugs. “Just something to think about,” he says. 

“Rami loves it here,” Gwil says. “And did you know it's only about a five minute walk to the cinema?” Ben shakes his head. "Dave does," Gwil says, and Ben smiles. "Dave knows where everything is."

"Well, it is his job to sell us on this," Ben says.

"And?" Gwil asks. "Are we sold?"

Ben lets out a breath. "It is the nicest one we've seen. By far."

"I agree," Gwil says. He tugs Ben in closer, kissing his neck.

“Gwil, stop,” Ben murmurs, but he doesn’t try pulling away, he just wraps his arms around Gwil’s neck, snuggling against him.

“Do you want to live here?” Gwil asks, kissing him again. “With me?”

Ben smiles against Gwil. “I’d live anywhere with you,” he says softly. "Well, almost."

"Well?" Rami asks eagerly, ducking his head into the bedroom, making both Gwil and Ben jump, pulling apart. "Is this your new flat?"

"Yeah," Joe says, and he ducks his head in as well, "is this your new flat?"

"You guys are ridiculous," Ben says.

"Is that a yes?" Rami asks.

Ben and Gwil look at each other, both smiling, and then Gwil finally nods. "It is," Gwil says, and Rami lets out an excited noise, clapping a couple times as he runs into the room, pulling Gwil into a hug.

"This is so exciting!" Rami says. "Oh my god, we have to tell Dave. This is fantastic news."

Joe walks into the room, looking at Ben, who seems a bit more reserved than Gwil and Rami. "What do you think, Benny?" he asks, slinging his arm around his shoulders. 

"It's nice," Ben says.

"Yeah?" Joe asks. "You wanna live here?"

Ben nods. “I— it's nice," he says again. "I like it."

"Awesome," Joe says. "That's awesome. I'm glad."

"Thank you," Ben says, and he carefully pulls away from Joe, walking over to the window, looking out.

Gwil glances over at Ben, and pulls away from Rami, walking over to the window, resting his hand on Ben's back. "That looks like a nice restaurant," he says, nodding towards the building across the street. He gently rubs Ben's back, and then squeezes Ben's shoulder comfortingly. "I know it's not home," he says, "but I think we'll get used to it."

Ben nods. "Yeah," he says. "I can live anywhere for a year." He looks up at Gwil, giving him a smile. "It's not all bad."

"Because I'll be with you?" Gwil asks, and Ben rolls his eyes.

"Because if I press my face to the glass," he says, doing just that, "I can see the Starbucks sign." He taps the glass. "Right there."

"Oh, right," Gwil says, and he laughs. "I think Joe's right, I sense a new morning routine."

Ben smiles, nodding. "You want to go talk to Dave?" he asks, and he turns, holding his hand out to Gwil.

"Absolutely," Gwil says. "Come on, lads," he says. "We have to make sure we get this flat before anyone else."

"I think we should ask him," Joe says, "make sure he knows who you are. I think that'll sway him."

"I think we're fine, Joe," Gwil says, and Ben just shakes his head at Joe as they head back downstairs.

Dave quickly pushes the chair back, smiling up at them. “Well?” he asks.

"We love it," Gwil says.

"Yeah," Ben says, "we'd really like to take it."

Dave opens his mouth to respond and in the split second of silence, Joe speaks up. “Would it help if we told you that he was on the Mercury?” he asks, and Ben groans, head falling forward.

“ _Joe_ ,” Rami says.

“What?” Joe asks. “This place is great, desperation is key.” He turns back to Dave, grinning. “That’s how I convinced him to marry me.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Dave says, then he looks back at Gwil. “And I thought I recognized your name.”

“Maybe Gwil and I should talk to him alone, please,” Ben says, gently pushing Joe towards the door. “Go look at the pizza menu next door.”

“Oh, it’s great,” Dave says, nodding. “I recommend anything on their Italian Stallion menu.”

Joe’s eyes widen and he looks at Ben, who just keeps pushing him towards the door. “Ben, it’s perfect!”

“We _know_ , Joe!” Ben says, closing the door behind him and Rami. He sighs, looking back at Gwil and Dave, giving them both an uncomfortable smile. “Sorry about that,” he says. He walks over to Gwil, and takes his hand. “Please don’t not give us the flat just because our mate is really weird. We actually do want it.”

“ _Very_ much so,” Gwil says. “But we didn’t ask him to say that bit about the Mercury, that was all him. Though it is true, I was.”

“Gwil,” Ben says softly.

“What?” Gwil asks, looking at him. “It’s our first flat together, I want it to be the loveliest one possible.” He smiles, then looks back at Dave. “So?”

\+ + + + +

“So?” Joe asks, scrambling up off the ground, looking over at Ben and Gwil as they walk outside.

“He’s got to call both of our landlords for references,” Ben says.

“Well, that’s dumb,” Joe says. “Rami and I are right here, we’ll go tell him what a great tenant Gwil is. And what a great roommate _you_ are!”

“I think it went well, though,” Rami says. “Didn’t it?”

“I think so,” Gwil says. “He said, if he can get ahold of our landlords, that the tenancy agreement should be in our email by the time we get back to London.” He grins at Rami, who pulls him into a hug.

“ _Really_?” Rami asks. “Really?”

“Joe’s little stunt may have helped a bit,” Ben says, sighing. “I— I’m not sure how I feel about that right now.”

“Oh come on,” Joe says, “I didn’t anything _wrong_. It’s an objective fact: Gwil was on the Mercury. And if that just so happens to make the nice man feel just a smidge of pity, well, I mean, I can’t help that.”

"Is that how you got your flat?" Gwil asks.

"No," Joe says, "I just offered to pay more than it was worth. That was my back-up plan for you."

“Can we just go back to London now, please?” Ben asks, checking his watch. “Our train’s in half an hour.” He glances around and then starts walking back in the direction of the train station.

“I’m not mad, love,” Gwil says, taking a couple long strides to catch up to Ben. “It’s a lovely flat, and Dave seems like a nice bloke. If he wants to do me a favour because of who I am, well, that’s alright with me.”

“I don’t like…” Ben sighs. “I guess. It’s up to you. And if it doesn’t bother you, then I guess it really shouldn’t bother me.” 

“I’m alright,” Gwil says, leaning in to kiss Ben’s cheek. “But thank you for caring. He means well. He just wanted to help!”

Ben takes Gwil’s hand and glances behind him to look at Joe. “I guess so,” he says.

“You’ll forgive me,” Joe says. “When you’re all moved in, and happy and in love, you’ll appreciate the things I’ve done for you.”

“We’ll see,” Ben says, and he turns back around, but he can’t help but smiling just a little. He knows Joe means well. Even if he has an annoying way of showing it.

\+ + + + +

“How do you feel about celebrating your birthday in Aber?”

“Uh, which one of us are you talking to?” Joe asks, not taking his eyes off the television. Rami and Gwil look over at him though.

“You,” Ben says, nudging Joe with his foot. “I’m looking at the dates of term.”

“And?”

“And I’ve got to be there for Welcome Week on Monday the 23rd,” Ben says. “I’m just trying to think. I’d rather be unpacked and all settled in before that starts, but your birthday is on the Saturday.”

“Oh,” Joe says, shrugging. “I mean, I’m fine with celebrating there. Babe?”

Rami smiles. “I think that’s lovely. I don’t mind at all! I didn’t have anything planned.”

“You didn’t?” Joe asks. “But I’m turning 37!”

“So? What’s that got to do with anything.”

“Uh, it means I’m old as fuck now,” Joe says. “Plus it’s my last birthday as a single man.”

Gwil snorts, and Rami’s mouth falls open. “ _Excuse_ me?” he asks.

Joe just grins and winks at him. “I’m _joking_ , obviously,” he says.

“You better be,” Rami says. “Or you _will_ be single.”

Gwil laughs loudly at that. “When are your holidays, love?” he asks, looking back at Ben.

“I get three weeks for Christmas,” Ben says.

“AKA Ben’s birthday party time,” Joe says. “Woot woot, my baby boy turns thirty!”

“Excuse me?” Ben asks this time. “Your _baby boy_? Who are you talking to?” He shakes his head, looking back at his computer. “I’ll obviously be skipping a few days at the beginning of March. But then I get three weeks for Easter.”

“Picture our baby dressed up in a bunny costume,” Joe says. “Picture it. With ears! Oh my god.”

“They’ll be too little for that,” Rami says. “Only a month old by then.”

“We are _so_ doing an Easter egg hunt,” Joe continues, “and I’ll get to hide all the chocolate _and_ find it! Oh my god. I can’t wait to be a dad.”

“It looks like I’ll have more time in the summer,” Ben says. “My courses are all done at the end of May, and then from June to September I’m working on my dissertation, so I can probably do that from here?” He looks around. “Just go back to Aber once or twice a week to meet with my supervisor.” He looks back at his laptop. “It’s not _great_ ,” he says slowly, “I’m still going to miss a lot.” He frowns.

The rest of them all feel a bit down as well, and then Joe leans over, trying to look at Ben’s computer. “So when do you want to move?” he asks, trying to change the subject. “I’ll ask for it off now.”

Ben opens a calendar, tapping on the screen. “If I start here, I’d like to be done on your birthday, at the latest. That way I’m not spending my last day of freedom being annoyed with how much rubbish I own.” He looks up at Gwil. “How much time do you think we need to get the flat ready?” he asks.

Gwil shrugs. “Well, as always, I have very little to bring with us,” he says. “I don’t know, all four of us together, it’d only take a couple of days. We could probably do it in one, but—”

“No thank you,” Ben says, and Gwil smiles. “Oh, we’ll have to book movers. That’s another thing to add to my list.” He looks back at the calendar. “If we get things picked up here,” he says, tapping his screen, “then we can unpack over these couple days, and have your birthday free. Since you’re turning 37 and all.”

“Big year for me,” Joe says. “But that’s good to know. I’ll put that in my calendar.”

“What, your birthday?” Ben asks. “So old you’re forgetting things now?”

“Ha ha,” Joe says. “And _no_. Just, you know, a thing. In my calendar.”

Ben rolls his eyes. “Okay, fine, don't say. But will you please ask for that time off work so you can come?”

“Of course,” Joe says. “Babe, you’re good with that? Wait, you’re done by then. The 18th?”

Rami nods. “My presentation is the week before, so I’ll just waiting for Commemoration Day!” He taps his feet excitedly on the floor, and Augie darts a paw out, claw getting caught on Rami’s sock.

“Bloody hell,” Gwil says, shaking his head. “You’ll be done, Ben’s starting uni, god, and what have I done in the last two years? Not a thing.”

“Start now,” Joe says, “while you’re still 36. You’re still so young, Gwil! You still have so much time.”

Ben smiles. “Stop it,” he says, nudging Joe again. “We’re letting Gwil go at his own pace. Whether he’s 36 or 37. It’s never too late.”

“I told you,” Rami says, “we have to find you a place to volunteer. You can’t spend all day in your flat doing nothing.”

“Ooh, write a book about your life,” Joe says. “That would take up a lot of time."

“I’m not writing a book,” Gwil says, and Joe just shrugs.

“They have lifelong learning courses,” Ben says. “If you don’t want to be a professor again, maybe you could be a student.”

“I like that idea!” Rami says eagerly. “I’m going to look up what they offer.” He takes out his mobile, and starts typing.

“Great,” Gwil says flatly, and Ben just smiles at him.

“You shouldn’t have said a word!” Ben says. “Now Rami will have you enrolled in some photography course. Also, Rami, do we have to register to attend your presentation, or can we just show up?”

“You have to email Thomas,” Rami says, “he’s the education administrator. I’ll send you his email.”

“Thank you,” Ben says, and he blows out a breath, looking back at his calendar. He runs his eyes over the upcoming weeks, and his stomach starts to twist a bit. “There’s so much to do,” he says quietly. “God, we have so much packing.” He groans. He looks at his calendar for a few moments longer and then closes his laptop and pushes it to the side, climbing off the sofa. He heads into the kitchen, and goes to the refrigerator. He opens the door and just stands there, looking at everything inside.

“Ben?” 

Ben looks over, seeing Rami’s smiling face, and he relaxes a bit. “Did you want something to drink?” he asks, glancing back at the fridge.

Rami shakes his head, and then walks into the kitchen, carefully closing the refrigerator door. “No,” he says. “I just wanted to say. What you said, about— missing things. With the baby.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ben says, shaking his head. “That was just me, I— I didn't mean to sound so sad, it's just that I think the move is hard on me. I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize,” Rami says, “I just wanted to say— well, since I’ve been back. And sort of dealing with…missing things.” He gives Ben a small smile. “Don’t think about what you’ll miss. Or what you have missed. That’s hard. It’s better to think about all the good things. You know, once Joe and I go back to work, we’ll miss things too. Our own child, and we still won’t get to see it all.” He shifts on his feet, and then reaches out, taking Ben’s hand. “It’s not about what you miss, it’s about what you’re there for.”

Ben feels a stinging in his eyes. "Okay," he says softly, nodding. "You're right." He sniffles once. "I'm sorry, though," he says. "I wasn't even thinking that."

"It's alright," Rami says. "There's nothing to apologize for. I, well, I don't know if I'd say I forget sometimes too, but I'm not always thinking about it either." He smiles at Ben. "I know the idea of leaving London is hard, but it's going to be alright. I promise. And you can trust me, can't you?" Ben smiles, and nods eagerly, and Rami grins back. "Good," he says. "That's good! Now. you aren't hiding in here, are you?" He looks at Ben expectantly, and Ben just swallows. "Come on," he says. "We need to make a list!"

"Of what?" Ben asks, brow furrowing.

"What you and Gwil need for your flat," Rami says, and Ben sighs.

"Between the two of us, I think we've got enough," Ben says.

"Gwil has _nothing_ ," Rami says, and Ben snorts, trying not laugh. "Absolutely nothing. Have you seen his flat?"

"I have," Ben says, smiling. "A few times. The bedroom at least."

Rami laughs at that. "I just want you to have a nice home," he says. "With decorations, and photographs, and just…you.” He smiles. "I know you're only living there for a year." He pauses. "Probably."

"Yes," Ben says.

"Well, you don't _know_ that," Rami says.

"I'm pretty sure I do."

"Fine, whatever. But still. I want you to _like_ living there," Rami continues. "And like coming home at the end of the day. I mean, no offense to Gwil," he shifts on his feet, leaning in towards Ben, "but his flat looks the exact same as it did the day we went to see it."

"I know," Ben says, smiling. There are a couple photos on Gwil's bedside table, and one hanging on his wall— one of the photos from Luyten that Ben and Joe had given Rami and Gwil in Perth. And Gwil always has at least one bouquet of flowers out, usually two. But it's true, Gwil's flat is decorated the same as it was when he moved in. At least Ben's flat looks like someone lives there. "Okay," he says. "We can make a list."

"Yay!" Rami says, clapping excitedly. "Alright, let's go, I'm already looking at a few things." He starts tugging on Ben's arm, and even though Ben actually was a bit thirsty when he walked into the kitchen, he follows behind Rami anyway. He does pull away from Rami when they get into the living room, and he drops down on the arm of Gwil's chair. 

"Hello, love," Gwil says, looking up at him, a wide smile on his face. "Can I help you?"

"Rami's decorating our flat," Ben says, and Gwil chuckles, looking over at Rami, who's sitting on the floor in front of Joe, snuggling back against his legs, his laptop open.

"Yes," Gwil says, "I think he's mentioned that a few times."

"That's alright?" Ben asks, reaching out to take Gwil's hand, touching his ring. 

"I think so," Gwil says, chuckling again. "I trust you both."

"What about me?" Joe asks.

"I trust you _both_ ," Gwil says again pointedly, and Ben laughs a bit, leaning in to give him a kiss. "Whatever you'd like. And you know what I like."

"Ben," Joe says, and Ben looks over at him. "No," Joe says, "that's what he likes: Ben."

Ben rolls his eyes, and Gwil grins. "Well, he's right," Gwil says, and he leans up to give Ben a kiss. "Go find us something nice," he says. 

"Yeah?" Ben asks, and Gwil nods. "Okay," he says, and he pushes himself up, walking over to Rami, dropping down on the floor next to him.

"You guys can sit up here, you know," Joe says. "I will move if you ask."

"No, this is fine," Rami says, and he turns his computer towards Ben. "Which room do you want to start with?"

"Bedroom," Joe says. "That's where he spends ninety percent of his time."

Gwil starts to laugh again, and Ben just sighs, but Rami goes to the page entitled _bed & bath_. "Oh this is pretty," Rami says at the first thing he sees, and Ben looks over at Gwil, smiling as he moves closer to Rami, resting against his arm.

\+ + + + +

Joe can see that Rami's hand is trembling a bit as he clutches at his cup of tea, and Joe reaches out, gently taking it from him, setting it down on the desk. "You're okay," he says softly. 

Rami nods, and looks around the room; there's a break in the presentations, so other students that have already gone are milling about, talking to the friends and family that they'd brought with them. From her seat a couple rows back, Nelly gives Rami an eager wave and a bright smile, and Rami nervously waves back. 

"Babe," Joe says, and Rami looks back at him. "It's okay to be nervous," he says, and Rami sighs, nodding.

"Well, that's good," he says, "because I am."

Joe smiles, taking Rami's hand, squeezing it gently. "I know," he says. "But you know what else I know?"

Rami looks at Joe, and shakes his head. "No," he says. "What?"

"Absolutely not a goddamn thing about what you're about to talk about," Joe says, and Rami just looks at him.

"Is that…a good thing?" Rami asks. “I— Joe, you've read my project."

"I know," Joe says. "But I'm an idiot and it all went over my head. But guess what? Nobody else in here knows anything about it either. You think Ben understands what you're talking about? No. Gwil, maybe, I'll give you that. _You're_ the one who's been working on this for months. _You're_ the one who's put in the time, and the effort, and all the research. You know more about your project than anybody else. Than your classmates, or your supervisor. You're the expert. Right?" He gives Rami an encouraging smile. "Right?"

"Right," Rami says. “I— I guess that's right. You're right."

"Exactly," Joe says. "You're the expert. And people are here to listen to you. Right? And if you fuck up, nobody here's going to be able to correct you, we don't know."

"I'm not the best at presentations," Rami says, and he lets his head fall forward, briefly resting his forehead against Joe's arm. "It's not my— strong suit. Why can't Ben do it for me?"

Joe laughs at that. "As much as I would _love_ to see Ben get up and here try to talk about space weather, I— I’m not entirely sure that'd be great for his mental health."

"I don't think it's great for mine, either," Rami says.

"You're the smartest person I know," Joe says. "And I know how much work you put into this. So don't think about it being a presentation, you're not lecturing us, you're just— it's a fifteen minute conversation about your research. Just like every other time you found out something _really_ interesting and had to come tell me about it right away. Just look at me." He smiles. "We're going to be sitting there, and you're going to do really well. Just look at us, okay?"

"Okay," Rami says. "I can do that."

"Good," Joe says, and he gives Rami a quick kiss on the cheek, pulling back with a smile. "I'd say good luck, but you don't need it."

"I do."

"Okay," Joe says, "good luck." He squeezes Rami's hand, then reaches out, picking Rami's tea up, handing it back over to him. "You've got this. Just think: you just gotta do this and you're done. Freedom. You've been working a for _year_ , and this is just fifteen minutes of it. Right?"

Rami nods, and then he smiles faintly. "You're really good at this," he says. "This is whole...comforting speech, thing."

"Yeah?" Joe asks, and Rami nods again.

"You're going to be a great dad," Rami says, and Joe grins.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with that," Joe says. "I'll take that compliment."

"Okay," Rami says. "Thank you." He gives Joe a quick kiss and then looks around, seeing his supervisor heading towards the front of the room. "Okay, go sit, I have to get ready."

"Knock 'em dead," Joe says, squeezing Rami's hand another time before he walks away, heading back to his seat beside in-between Nelly and Ben.

"Is he alright?" Nelly asks.

"He's great," Joe says, nodding. "Just needed a bit of a pep talk."

Ben smiles, looking at Joe. "You're good at those," he says, and Joe smiles, playfully bumping his shoulder against Ben's, and then he looks ahead, watching Rami quietly speaking to his supervisor, and then his supervisor gets situated behind the podium.

"I'm excited," Gwil says, rapping his knuckles on the desk in front of them. "He's going to be brilliant."

"Yeah, he is," Joe says proudly, and Nelly smiles, reaching out to squeeze Joe's arm.

There's a gentle tapping at the microphone, and the room quiets down, everyone looking forward to watch Rami's supervisor introduce him. They can see Rami shift a bit nervously on his feet, but once his name is announced, he smiles and steps up, looking right at the four of them, and he visibly relaxes.

\+ + + + +

“Oh please,” Gwil says, hurrying forward to pull Nelly’s chair out for her, smiling brightly as she glances back at him.

“Well, thank you,” Nelly says, and Ben just rolls his eyes, pulling out his own chair next to her.

“Show off,” he says, and Gwil quickly sticks his tongue out at Ben, and Nelly laughs.

“You’re alright, aren’t you love?” Gwil asks, sitting down across from Nelly, leaning back against his own seat.

“Just fine, thank you,” Ben says, but he’s smiling. “Have you been here before?” he asks Nelly, and she just shakes her head.

Rami sits down next to Ben, and Joe sits between him and Gwil. “I hope you like it,” he says, leaning forward a bit to see Nelly past Ben. “Joe picked it because it’s one of my favourites. I know it's a bit posh though."

“I’m sure it’ll be lovely,” Nelly says. “It looks beautiful.”

Rami smiles at her. “Thank you for coming today,” he says, “I really appreciate it.”

Nelly grins at him and reaches past Ben to squeeze Rami’s hand. “Of course,” she says. “I’m so proud of it. It was wonderful.”

“Not too dull?” Rami asks, and Nelly shakes her head, letting go of his hand so that Ben can have the space in front of him back.

“No, I learned a lot,” she says.

“Told you,” Joe says, and Rami smiles shyly.

Their server comes and takes their drink orders, and they finally start looking at the menu. “What’s monkfish like?” Ben asks quietly, looking at Gwil.

Gwil just shakes his head a bit, scanning over the menu. “Not sure, love.”

Ben sets his menu down and takes out his mobile, quickly googling it. “No, I’m— no thank you.”

“Can I see?” Gwil asks, and Ben turns the screen towards him, and Gwil’s eyes widen. “I think I’m fine with the cod.”

“Are you two getting ready for your big move?” Nelly asks, and Ben nods, putting his phone away.

“Well, sort of,” he says. “We will be. Soon.”

Gwil smiles over at Ben. “We’re looking forward to it,” he says.

“I can imagine,” Nelly says. "I do hope you like it."

“Have you been?” Ben asks.

Nelly nods. “A few times. Years ago. It’s lovely there. I’m sure you’ll like it. It’ll grow on you.”

Ben smiles faintly. “I hope so,” he says. “I’m a bit nervous,” he admits quietly, shifting in his seat.

Nelly gives him a sympathetic smile, and gently squeezes his shoulder. “New things are always scary,” she says. “But if half the things these boys have told me about you are true, I’m sure you’ll do wonderfully.”

Ben looks over at Gwil. “What have you told her?” he asks, and Gwil just smiles and shrugs.

“And you!” Nelly says, turning to look at Gwil. “What will you be doing with your time?”

“We’re finding things for him,” Rami says, leaning forward a bit.

“Really?” Nelly asks. “What sorts of things?”

“They want me to take a course,” Gwil says. “Hone some skill I never knew I had.”

“I think that sounds lovely,” Nelly says. 

“Thank you,” Joe says, “we’re trying to convince him.”

Nelly smiles at Gwil, and reaches over, patting his hand. “You can’t spend all your time alone,” she says. “I won’t have it.”

“We’ll see,” Gwil says, and he sits back as their server brings them their drinks, nodding his thanks.

The server asks if they’re ready to order, and they all scan over the menu again, quickly picking their choices, and then Joe gently clears his throat and lifts his glass.

“Oh god,” Rami mutters, and he laughs a bit. “Joe, please.”

“Just a little one,” Joe says, “I promise.” He looks around at the table, smiling. “So, obviously, my very smart, handsome fiancé just _killed_ it.”

“Oh god,” Rami says again, and Ben grins, reaching out to pat Rami on the back a couple times.

“And I just want to say I’m proud of him,” Joe says. “I always am. I’ve been proud of you since the beginning. You’ve just always had this passion for learning, and finding out new things, and then you wanted to go back to university, and I thought it was a great idea, and it was even better than I thought, and you did so well up there today, I’m just really happy.” He smiles at Rami. “I know it’ll be awhile before you go back to work, but when you do, you’re going to be so great. You’re smart, and— and you work hard, and you care about so much, and your passion for engineering which I— I didn’t really realize was a thing until I met you, you just make everything sound so interesting, and things that I thought were boring are exciting now because of you. And I just wanted to say I’m proud of the work you’ve done, and I can’t wait to see where you go next.” He smiles at Rami, chuckling a bit when Rami reaches up to wipe at his eyes. “If you cried at that just wait until you hear my vows.”

“Stop it,” Rami says, wiping at his face again, and then he laughs a bit as well. “Thank you.”

“To Rami,” Gwil says, and they all lift their glasses, and Rami groans in embarrassment, cheeks reddening.

Ben turns and pulls Rami into a hug, and he smiles when he pulls back. “Congratulations,” he says.

Rami nods. “Thank you.” He sighs. “Ugh, Nelly, how could you let them embarrass me like this?”

“Why should you be embarrassed?” Nelly asks. “You should be proud. And I thought that was a wonderful speech, Joe.”

“Thank you, Nelly,” Joe says.

“Now, I have a gift,” Nelly says, turning a bit to pick up her purse.

“Oh, no, Nelly,” Rami says, “please, I— no. That’s— I don’t need anything. I haven’t even graduated yet! Today was just a presentation, please.”

“I know what it was,” Nelly says, “and I’m proud of you regardless.”

“Nelly, I wish you didn’t,” Rami says softly, wiping at his face. “The wedding is next month and I…”

“I know that too,” Nelly says, she hands over a box to Rami. “This is your graduation present, but I know you’ll be so busy that day with Joe’s family, and—”

“I’ll always have time for you, Nelly,” Rami says, smiling.

“Well, regardless,” Nelly says, "this is for you today. Thank you for inviting me to such an important event.”

“It was my pleasure,” Rami says, and he carefully opens the box, revealing a pair of cufflinks. “Oh, they’re lovely, Nelly, thank you.” He lifts one of them up, slowly twirling it to see that they’re monogramed— GK. “Oh,” he says softly, and looks over at her, questioning.

“They were my father’s,” Nelly says, smiling at him. 

“Oh,” Rami says again, and his eyes immediately fill with tears. “They’re really lovely,” he says.

“And they belonged to his father,” Nelly continues, and Rami frowns a bit in confusion. “He wore them at his wedding, and my father wore them at his. I just thought.” She shrugs, and smiles. 

“These—” A couple tears run down Rami’s cheeks, and he sniffles, wiping at his at face. “George wore these when he married Yasmine?” he asks, and Nelly nods. “I— I can’t take these,” he says, shaking his head. “I can’t— these should go to Leo.” He sniffles. “He’s your son, they— they would go to him.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Leo,” Nelly says, “he’s not really one for antiques. They'd be too old-fashioned for him. Besides, I’m not sure he’s the marrying type.” She smiles at Rami. “They’re for you. I’ve been saving them.”

“For me?” Rami asks, looking back at the box again. “Since when?” he asks.

“Oh, well,” Nelly says, “I suppose since I met you. I quite liked the look of you and Joe together.” She smiles and winks at Joe, who grins back.

Rami’s shoulders start to shake and he laughs softly, wiping his face. “This is too much, Nelly, I don’t…I don’t know if I can take these.”

“I think she’s going to insist,” Gwil says, leaning forward a bit.

“You don’t have as many family heirlooms as you should,” Nelly says, “and those are mine, and I’m certainly not going to wear them, and I want you to. If you already have a pair for your wedding, I won’t be offended, I just thought—”

“No, oh my god, of course I'll wear them,” Rami says. "Of course I will."

“I’m wearing ones Rami got me for my birthday,” Joe says, looking at Nelly. “They’re my lucky Yankees ones.” Nelly smiles at Joe.

“Thank you, Nelly,” Rami says, carefully putting them back in the box. “I’ll treasure them forever.”

“I know,” Nelly says, and then Rami pushes his chair back, walking over to Nelly, leaning down to give her a hug. 

“Thank you,” Rami says again.

“You’re welcome,” Nelly says, patting his back. “I’m happy you liked them. I suppose I could have given them to you earlier, but—”

“No, it’s alright,” Rami says, and he pulls back. “Today is wonderful. Thank you.” He walks back to his chair and then hands the box over to Gwil, who doesn’t even have to ask to look at them, Rami just knows he wants to.

“Oh, very sharp,” Gwil says, “I like those.”

“Maybe something for the baby when they’re older,” Joe says, looking at Rami, and Rami just nods happily. “Yeah, that’d be a great gift for them.” He smiles at Nelly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nelly says. “I’m just happy I had them to give.” She looks across the table at Gwil. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you two,” she says.

“Oh, we don’t need anything,” Ben says. “But thank you.”

“And this is Rami’s day, not ours,” Gwil says. “Besides, you’ve always done so much for me. There’s nothing you have to give us. Your friendship and kindness is enough.”

Nelly smiles at Ben, playfully nudging him. “He certainly knows how to make someone feel very loved doesn’t he?”

“I don’t know what he’s playing at today,” Ben says, just shaking his head. “Showing off for his girlfriend, I suppose.”

Nelly laughs loudly. “I haven’t been someone’s girlfriend in years, I think that ship has sailed.”

“And I hate to break it to you, but _that_ ship,” Joe says, pointing at Gwil, “is very gay.”

Nelly laughs again, and Ben just snorts as Rami kicks Joe’s foot under the table.

\+ + + + +

Joe gently smacks Rami on the ass, and Rami jumps a bit. "Go sit in the dining room," Joe says, "I've got a surprise." He smiles and walks into the kitchen, followed by Ben, and Gwil and Rami walk into the dining room together, taking seats next to each other. 

"All I can think is how relieved you must feel," Gwil says, and Rami nods.

"I am," he agrees, “I— I worked really hard on my project."

"It shows," Gwil says. "It was excellent."

"Thank you," Rami says, shifting back in his seat. "I just...I also sort of can't believe that it's done," he says. “I— a year went by, just like _that_. That's it. I’m— I'm done."

"You are," Gwil says. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," Rami says. “I’m— at first it seemed like it would never come, and now here we are. I'm done, just waiting for graduation." He smiles. "And then I'm getting married."

Gwil laughs a bit, nodding. "So I've heard," he says. "Next month."

"Next month," Rami echoes. "That's..." He trails off, and then just swallows. "Well. Wow. That's wow."

Gwil smiles. "It is," he says. "I'm really so happy for you, Rami. And proud of you."

"Thank you," Rami says. He frowns a little though, looking down at the table, and Gwil nods, reaching out to put his hand on Rami's.

"I know you miss them," he says. "I do too."

Rami nods, and reaches up, wiping at his eyes, and then he looks up when Ben walks into the dining room, plates and utensils in hand. He's followed by Joe, who's carrying a cake, black, and purple, pink, and dark blue icing all mixed together to look like a galaxy. "Oh," he says, looking at it as Joe sets it down in front of him. Then he starts to laugh when he sees the words written on it: _you're out of this world!_ "That's very kind," he says, "thank you."

"Yeah?" Joe asks. "You like it?"

Rami nods. "It's beautiful, I love it."

"You want do the honours?" Ben asks, offering Rami the knife.

"Alright," he says, carefully taking it from Ben, making the first cut.

"Bravo!" Gwil says, clapping loudly, and then he puts his hands on Rami's shoulder, pulling him in a bit. "Congratulations!"

Rami laughs a bit, and makes another cut, then carefully lifts the slice up, putting it on the plate in Ben's hands. "You know I technically haven't graduated yet," he says.

Gwil shakes his head. "Doesn't matter to me, does it? Still my best mate, still deserve some cake. Here." He takes the knife from Rami, and Ben gives Rami the first slice, and then Gwil cuts slices for the rest of them.

"Will you cut a fifth one?" Rami asks, looking at Gwil, and Gwil looks back at him for a moment, and then nods. 

"Yes, of course," he says.

"I'll get a plate," Ben says, standing up, going into the kitchen, coming back with a fork and a plate in his hands. He sits down and Gwil plates the fifth slice, and Rami pushes it towards the empty space at the table between Ben and Joe, and smiles. 

"Okay," Rami says, lifting up his fork.

"Wait, wait!" Joe says. "We gotta make speeches!"

"We really don't," Rami says. "You've all already said so much today and been so supportive. And then there will be more speeches after my graduation. And before it. And at the wedding. Can't we just eat some cake?"

"Ugh, alright," Joe says. "But we are all proud of you."

"He's right," Ben says, "we are. You've done brilliantly."

"Thank you," Rami says quietly, and he cuts off a small piece of cake. "Really. Thank you." He takes a bit, and chews, and then smiles. "It's quite good," he murmurs, covering his mouth with his hand.

"We'll have to get a cake next week too," Joe says. " _Someone's_ got a birthday coming up!"

"And _someone's_ starting university," Gwil says, smiling at Ben.

"Joe and I can share a cake, I'm sure," Ben says, and Joe snorts.

"I don't think so, Ben."

"No, I didn't really," Ben says, "but I'd hoped."

"We'll have to see if there's a bakery near your flat," Rami says. "What do you want for your birthday dinner, Joe?"

Joe shrugs as he chews. "I'll take whatever," he says. "It'll all be new to us, right? We can take a look, see whatever sounds good. Though if you think I'm leaving there without trying one of those Italian Stallion pizzas, you are sorely mistaken."

Rami laughs. "Yes, I can imagine." He takes another bite of cake, nodding as he chews. "Have you started packing yet?" he asks, looking at Ben. Ben shakes his head. "Are you going to put it off as long as possible?" Ben nods, and Rami laughs again. "Okay," he says. "You know, I've got all sorts of free time now! I can help you both."

"My flat won't take very long," Gwil says.

"Yes," Rami says, "we know," and Gwil's mouth falls open in mock offence, before he starts to laugh.

"My flat's going to take forever," Ben says. "Ugh, I hate packing. The removal company comes a week from tomorrow, and I'm just going to wait as long as I can."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you did a little bit every day until then?" Gwil asks, and then Ben turns to look at him, and with an expression that makes Gwil laugh a bit and say, "alright, maybe not.”

“What will you do with your time now?” Ben asks, looking back at Rami. “Since you’re _done_! What’s that feel like?”

“I don’t know,” Rami says. “It feels odd, I think. But nice.”

“I still have to get up and go to work tomorrow, unfortunately,” Joe says, “so it’s only nice for one of us.”

“I’m not really supposing I’ll get much done in the next week before we go to Aber,” Rami says, “but I don’t know. Start getting the flat ready for the baby at some point. Planning the nursery? I don’t know.”

“It’s…you still have almost six months,” Gwil says. 

Rami shrugs. “But the next two months, I’m not getting anything done for the baby,” he says. “Moving you two, graduating, wedding, honeymoon.” He blinks a couple times. “Wow, I’m busier than I thought.” He shrugs, then takes another bite of his cake.

“God, you really are,” Ben says. “I wish that I was going to be around to help. Well, not with the honeymoon. I assume Joe’s got that part handled.”

“You know I do!” Joe says, taking a bite of cake, and the other three all smile. “Big plans.”

“I’m not sure how it’s happened,” Gwil says, “but you and Joe are going to be proper adults soon enough.”

“You and Ben are almost there,” Rami says. “Just a week to go!”

“Yay,” Ben murmurs sarcastically, “can’t wait.” He digs his fork into his cake, taking a big bite.

“Don’t worry, it’s not too scary,” Joe says. “You’ll survive. You’ve got Gwil to help.”

Gwil’s eyes widen a bit. “Not sure I’ll be much help,” he says. “I’ve been sort of depending on Ben.”

“Uh-oh,” Joe says. “You guys may immediately fall apart.”

“No,” Rami says, shaking his head a bit. “I know they’re going to be alright.” He smiles at Ben and Gwil, and then takes another bite of cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and of course a [moodboard](https://laminy.tumblr.com/post/190859188140/just-a-bit-of-a-preview-of-my-upcoming-story) to celebrate!


	2. Chapter 2

Rami smiles across the small table at Gwil, who’s got his coffee cup up to his mouth.

“Yes?” Gwil asks, before he takes a drink.

Rami shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says. “Just.” He shrugs. “I don’t know.” He smiles again. “Just looking at you.”

“This would be a terrible time to confess your love for me,” Gwil says, and Rami snorts, rolling his eyes. “Well, actually, better than after the wedding, I suppose. But I’m not sure about this baby thing.”

“In love?” Rami asks. “With you? In your dreams.”

“Oh, well then,” Gwil says. “I’ll certainly go tell Ben just how unlovable you think I am. I don’t think I’m all that bad.”

“You’ve gotten better.”

Gwil grins at that. “I suppose I have,” he says. “Thanks to you,” he says, tipping his cup towards Rami.

“I think it may have been mostly Ben,” Rami says, “but I’ll certainly take the compliment.”

“Maybe,” Gwil says softly, and he takes another drink. “So, what are you looking at me for, then?”

“Can’t I just look?” Rami asks.

Gwil shrugs. “I suppose if you think I’m just that fit, that’s alright. Joe might get jealous, but he also spent a fair bit of time sleeping with Ben when you two were dating, so maybe all’s fair.”

“I was just thinking, is all,” Rami says. “I— I don’t know.” He shakes his head and frowns a little, looking down at his tea. “It’s silly. I don’t want to make either of us sad.”

“It’s not silly,” Gwil says, “and being sad is alright. It’s just an emotion, as healthy as all the other ones.”

“That’s your doctor speaking,” Rami says, and Gwil shrugs. “I was just thinking about Perth.”

“What about it?” Gwil asks. “I assume it’s not wedding-related, if you’re worried I’ll be sad.”

“No, it’s not,” Rami says. “I just thinking about how…Joe moved to London, and I wanted to go with him, but you wanted to stay there.”

Gwil nods slowly, taking another drink of coffee. “I did, yes,” he says quietly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“And then you came,” Rami says, “but now you’re leaving.”

“Well, it’s been…almost two years since I moved here,” Gwil says. “And I told you I didn’t think I could stay here forever. It’s never really been my place.”

“I know,” Rami says. “I just, I’ve been wondering. More, lately. About what happens after Aber. Where you and Ben will go.”

“Oh,” Gwil says. “I— I suppose I have to be completely honest and say I don’t know. That depends on where Ben can get a job that he really likes, that he really enjoys. I don’t want to take anything away from him.”

“I know,” Rami says again. “I just wonder, really.” He bites at his nail for a moment, and then gives Gwil a quick smile. “You have a year to figure it out, I’m not worried. Just interested. I sort of like this…well, I don’t like the not knowing, but I like the idea that anything can still happen. You know? Sometimes I feel so old, because we’ve been through so much, but I still have so much to do. And so do you.”

Gwil smiles faintly. “I don’t know about _so much_ ,” he says. “I think my life right now is…well, what you see is what you get.”

Rami shakes his head. “No,” he says. “You’ll find something. It may be something that I have to force you into doing,” and Gwil smiles at that, “but I don’t think this is it for you. Did you look at those courses I sent you?”

“I did.”

“And?”

Gwil shrugs. “Not…not sure I’d be good at any of them.”

“The point isn’t to be _good_ at them, Gwil,” Rami says. “The point is to just…do them. You aren’t really imagining yourself just sitting at home all day when Ben’s on campus, are you? Doing…what, exactly?”

Gwil sighs, and just shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he says. “I— I’m really excited to move, and be with him, and have our own home, but— I’m scared too. Still. I don’t know why I’m still not ready yet. I’d like to be, I’d like to…I was online. Looking.”

“For what?”

“Volunteer positions,” Gwil says. “At the National Library.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Rami says, leaning forward over the table. “Gwil, why don’t you do that?”

“Because it’s not that easy,” Gwil says. “I— I don’t know.”

“Don’t you want to work again?” Rami asks. After a moment, he smiles. “I can hire you on as our nanny.”

Gwil laughs a bit at that. “How’s the pay?”

Rami shrugs. “Room and board. Plus, great company.”

“That sounds lovely,” Gwil says.

“Unfortunately,” Rami says, “since I can’t entrust the life of my child to just _anyone_ , one of the requirements is that you take a lifelong learning course from Aber.”

“Which one?”

“Any one, Gwil. Any one at all.”

Gwil sighs. “I’ll think about it.”

“You do that,” Rami says. He glances at his watch, and then stands up. “Come on,” he says, “Felix will be home from his swimming lessons now, and he won’t want us to be late.”

“I don’t think they’re swimming lessons, exactly,” Gwil says, standing up, following Rami out of the cafe.

“What are they then?”

“Like, swimming exercise,” Gwil says. “I’m not sure, really. I’m sure he’ll tell you if you ask.”

\+ + + + +

“Aquarobics,” Felix says, and Gwil and Rami look at each other, exchanging a smile. “And did I tell you about the new instructor? She’s pretty as a song. Not sure she’d do much for either of you, though.”

Gwil snorts a bit. “No, probably not,” he says. “Get Joe in here though, I’m sure you two would have loads to talk about.”

Felix laughs a bit at the look on Rami’s face, and settles back in his chair. “So what are you doing visiting me?” he asks. “Don’t you have any moving to do? Just a few days now, isn’t it?”

“It is, yes,” Gwil says. “But my flat’s pretty much all packed up. Just Ben’s things to go.”

“And you’ve left your boyfriend on his own then,” Felix says. “Not sure you’ll win any points with that one.”

“Joe’s helping him right now,” Rami says, “we’re going over after.”

“Don’t worry, Felix,” Gwil says, “I’m not abandoning him. If he needs me to help pack up his dishes, I’m more than happy to help. I just wanted to see you before I went. That’s all. You’re well?”

“Right as rain,” Felix says.

“Got your suit all ready for the wedding?” Rami asks, smiling.

“Oh heavens yes,” Felix asks, smiling. “Would you like to see it? It’s hanging in my room.”

Rami laughs a bit. “Oh no,” he says, “I’d like you to surprise me. I can’t wait.”

Felix smiles. “Do you have photos of your flat?” he asks, and Gwil nods, taking his mobile out. “Let’s see here, then,” he says softly, leaning forward towards Gwil. “And where is it?”

“We’re moving to Aberystwyth,” Gwil says, speaking loudly and clearly.

“Yes, Uncle Gwil, I know,” Felix says, and Rami snorts at his exasperated tone, looking away as he tries not to laugh. “Where is it in the city? By the university?”

“Twenty-minute walk, maybe,” Gwil says. “We’re in the town centre. Right beside a pizza place and across the street from a restaurant.”

“Oh, fancy that,” Felix says. “That looks like a lovely place. It’s nice in person?”

“Very pretty,” Rami says. “Courtesy of me, of course. I found it for them.”

Gwil rolls his eyes a bit, but smiles, going through the rest of the photos.

“And you’re happy to be back in Wales?” Felix asks, looking up at Gwil.

“Sure,” Gwil says. “I— I think it’ll be nice. For the both of us. I know Ben’s a bit unsure about moving, still, but I think that’s more nerves than anything else. I’m nervous too, it’s a big change.”

“Bigger than going to space for a year?” Felix asks.

Gwil draws a sharp breath, and looks over at Rami. “No,” he says, “I suppose not. But Rami’s not coming with me this time.”

Rami looks at Gwil sadly, and is about to say something before Felix speaks up again.

“Rami’s too busy for that,” he says, waving Gwil off. “He’s got things to do.”

Rami laughs loudly at that, and even Gwil smiles a bit. “He certainly does,” Gwil says. “Rami just did his big presentation the other day.”

“Did you now?” Felix asks. “And how did that go?”

“Very well, thank you,” Rami says. “I was nervous, but I think I did alright.”

“He’s lying, he was brilliant,” Gwil says, “absolutely. The IIS will be lucky to have him back.”

“How long until then?” Felix asks.

“I’m not sure yet,” Rami says. “Part of me thinks that waiting until the baby is six months old is good. But then I worry it’s not enough time, and I’ll miss too much. And then I think six months is too long and I should start back as soon as possible. I think for right now I’m just going to see how it goes. How I feel. Joe’s going to take a least year off, though.”

“A year,” Felix echoes. “Back in my day, you were lucky if you got to take the day off to go to the hospital with your wife. I didn’t spend nearly enough time with my children when they were young. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

“They weren’t mistakes,” Rami says, reaching out to squeeze Felix’s hand. “Things are just different now. It’s alright now to be a caring father.”

“Joe’s got enough parenting books floating around to prove that,” Gwil says, and Rami smiles.

“Have you started on the nursery yet?” Felix asks.

Rami shakes his head. “No, not yet,” he says. “But soon! After the honeymoon. We have some ideas, I think.”

“You let me know if there’s anything you need,” Felix says, and Rami smiles.

“I will, thank you,” he says, and he leans in, kissing Felix a quick peck on the cheek.

“Oh heavens,” Felix says, raising his hand to his face. “Thank you. Isn’t that something?” he asks, looking at Gwil.

“He certainly is,” Gwil says, and he grins at Rami.

“Did you want any tea?” Felix asks. “Let me get you some tea. And biscuits.”

“I’ll get it, Felix,” Gwil says standing up, “you stay seated with Rami, talk about the baby and the wedding some more.”

“Will you have a boy or a girl?” Felix asks.

“We don’t know,” Rami says, “we’re waiting to see.”

“That’s smart,” Felix says. “Can’t change it, so what’s the point?”

Rami smiles. “Exactly. And we don’t mind, either way will be lovely. We just need to come up with a name.”

“Felix means _luck_ ,” Felix says, “hard to go wrong there. Never had a bad thing happen to me.”

Rami grins. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You do that,” Felix says. “I know it’s my name, but I’d be willing to loan it out for a bit. I’m almost done with it, anyway.”

“Oh, Felix,” Rami says softly. “That’s— no. You’re still young!”

“I’m 94.”

“Yes, 94 years young,” Rami says insistently.

Felix makes quiet noise of amusement. “I’m old enough to know that I’m not young. Don’t worry about me. The things I’ve seen? I’ve made out alright.”

“Well, you’ll certainly have to meet the baby,” Rami says. “Won’t you do that at least?”

Felix smiles at Rami, and reaches out with a shaky hand, patting Rami’s knee a couple times. “I suppose I can fit into my schedule.”

Rami laughs, and reaches up, wiping at his face. “Between all your water—”

“ _Aqua_ robics,” Felix says, “yes, yes. And there’s a car night in a couple weeks! See some of the old lads again. Won’t that be something.”

“I’m sure it will be lovely,” Rami says.

Felix leans back in his chair, looking towards the kitchen, and then he leans forward again. “You take care of him for me,” he says softly, and Rami nods.

“I will,” Rami says. “It really is a lovely flat, and I’m trying to talk him into finding a place to volunteer or take a course. So, you know, he won’t be lonely all day.”

“Good good,” Felix says, nodding. “I like that. You tell him I like that. There’s no reason an old man like me should be doing more than a young man like him.”

Gwil comes back in with a plate of biscuits, and he sets them down on the table in front of them. “Tea’s on the way,” he says. “What are we discussing now?”

Felix looks up at Gwil, and reaches out, squeezing his hand. “Just making sure you’ll be alright,” he says. “Off to Wales.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Gwil says, smiling down at him. “I really am looking forward to it, I promise.” He squeezes Felix’s hand back. “Besides, if I get lonely, I can always give you a ring, can’t I?”

“Give Ben a ring first,” Felix says, and Rami starts to laugh, and Gwil just shakes his head.

“I’m going to assume you told him to say that,” Gwil says, turning around, walking back towards the kitchen.

“I didn’t, I swear!” Rami calls out.

“Besides,” Gwil says, “Ben has a ring! Wears it every day.”

Felix scoffs, looking at Rami. “If I had a pretty young blond like Ben, you’d bet I’d marry her up right away.”

Rami keeps laughing. “I— I— you know Ben’s a bloke, right?”

“Oh, you know what I mean,” Felix says, waving him off.

“He is pretty though, I’ll give you that,” Rami says, grinning. “I’ll let him know you said so.”

Felix shrugs, and reaches out, taking a biscuit. “You do that,” he says.

“Okay, Felix,” Rami says, taking a biscuit as well.

“And I mean it about taking care of him,” Felix says, some crumbs falling on his shirt as he chews.

Rami nods. “I know, Felix. I will. I told Roger I would.”

Felix blinks a couple times, slowly smiling at Rami. “Good,” he says. “Good. He’d be happy about that.”

“I know,” Rami says softly, looking up when Gwil walks back into the room, tea in hand.

\+ + + + +

Ben groans when he accidentally kicks the box on the floor, and then, annoyed, he kicks it again to get it out of his way. “Bloody, stupid rubbish,” he mutters to himself, shaking his head as he goes through his wardrobe.

“What’s this?” Joe asks, grabbing a notebook off Ben’s bookshelf.

“Joe, we’ll never finish if you don’t stop—” Ben looks up. “That’s nothing, give that back.”

“Ooh, that means it’s _something_ ,” Joe says, and he starts to flip through the pages. “What is it?”

“Nothing, Joe, come on,” Ben says, and he holds his hand out.

“A diary!” Joe exclaims, looking up at Ben, eyes wide.

“It’s not a— it’s a journal,” Ben says, “now come on, Joe, that’s— that’s private. I don’t go through your things.”

“You could, I don’t care,” Joe says, shrugging. “When did you write this?” he asks.

Ben reaches out to grab it from him, and Joe twists, flipping through the pages, trying to find a year instead of just Ben’s handwritten dates. “Joe, come on,” Ben says, and Joe laughs. Ben tries to wrap his arm around Joe to grab it, and Joe just twists again, and then Ben tries from the other side, and Joe takes a couple quick steps, his foot landing on one of Ben’s shirts on the floor, and Joe slides, and tumbles down.

“Ow,” Joe whines pitifully.

“That’s what you get,” Ben says, and he’s immediately on his knees, straddling Joe, reaching out to grab the journal.

“Everything alright?” Gwil calls from the living room, and Ben and Joe both look over when Gwil appears in the doorway of Ben’s room, looking at them with, at first, a look of shock, and then an amused smile. “Should I be jealous?” he asks, crossing his arms.

“Yes,” Joe says, at the same time that Ben says “ _no_ ,” finally grabbing the journal from Joe’s hands, pushing himself up.

“Alright, Joe?” Gwil asks, stepping into the room, holding out his hand for Joe to take, helping him up. “Must’ve really ticked him off if he pushed you.”

“Ben’s such a bully,” Joe mutters, rubbing his hipbone, “ow.”

“Behave,” Gwil says, smiling, turning and walking back into the living room.

Ben sits down on the edge of his bed, slowly flipping through the pages of the journal, a bit of a frown on his face.

“So?” Joe asks. “Come on, give me a hint.” He sits down on the bed next to Ben, bouncing a bit. “I never saw you writing in a journal when we lived together.”

“That’s because I didn’t,” Ben says. He looks up at Joe, sighing, and then he flips to the inside cover, where he has the dates written.

Joe leans over to read Ben’s handwriting— apparently the journal covers from April to November 2032. And then realization slowly comes over him. “Oh,” he says. “So, you were just a baby then, huh?” he asks, trying to sound upbeat about it.

Ben nods. “I kept a journal all throughout uni. Or, no. I tried. I started to.” He flips to a random page, running his fingers over the tidy black handwriting, making a quiet noise. “I stopped when— at a certain point.”

“Hmm,” Joe says. “Well, uh. Do you wanna keep it?” he asks. “Or toss it? Is it any good to you now?”

“I don’t know,” Ben says. “I—” He flips to another page, and then lets out a deep breath. “I don’t know,” he says again. He reaches up to scratch at the back of his neck. “I haven’t looked at it in awhile, but throwing it away doesn’t seem…right, either.”

“Okay,” Joe says, “that’s fine.”

“But I also don’t want to dragging rubbish behind me, flat to flat,” Ben says. “There’s no point in keeping this.” Ben groans loudly, and flops back onto his bed. “I don’t want to pack anymore,” he whines, throwing his arms out to the side. “Why did I have to get into Aber? Why couldn’t I have gotten into London and just lived in this flat forever?”

“Oh god,” Joe says, “existential crisis. Ben, buddy? Benny?”

“I hate packing,” Ben continues, and Joe turns, pushing himself up onto the bed so that he can look down at Ben.

“Ben,” Joe says, and Ben looks over at him, “this is going to be great for you, buddy! I know packing sucks. You know what sucks more? Unpacking. But that’s why Rami and I are going to be there to help, and guess what? You’re going to be okay.”

“Ughhh,” Ben groans. “We’re just going to move again in a year. Probably. I don’t know. What’s the point?”

“Ben, get up,” Joe says again, pushing at him. “Come on. There are four of us, stop being a baby and start doing your share!” He climbs off the bed, and goes back to Ben’s bookshelf, packing his set of _Harry Potter_ books.

Ben sighs, looking down at the journal still in his hands. He sits up, and then blows out another heavy breath. He stands up, and walks over to the box at Joe’s feet, and carefully drops the journal inside.

“You sure?” Joe asks. “You’re just going to have to unpack it.”

“That’s fine,” Ben says. “I’m sure I’ve got a couple others here, I’ll take them. I— maybe one day I’ll read through them. I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Joe says, giving him a smile. “Whatever you think is best.”

Ben looks down at the box for a moment, and then nods. “Yeah,” he says. “No, I’d— I’d like to keep them. For now.” He gives Joe a quick smile that feels fake, and then turns around, going back to his wardrobe. “Just put me to sleep and wake me up when we’re in Aber.”

“I’m not dragging your dead weight around,” Joe says, “you’re all muscle. No way.”

Ben smiles again, for real this time, and shakes his head a bit, folding another jumper.

They’re packing for a few more minutes before Gwil ducks his head into Ben’s bedroom again. “Oh, you’ve stopped fighting?” he asks.

“Only because I won,” Joe says, glancing over from the bookshelf.

“That’s too bad,” Gwil says. “Love, most of your dishes are in a box now, so we’re just going to order in.”

“Fine by me,” Ben says.

“Indian or burgers?” Gwil asks, looking back and forth between Joe and Ben.

Ben shrugs, grabbing another jumper. “Whichever,” he says. “Joe?”

“You guys pick,” Joe says. “You’re the ones leaving.” He immediately turns around, making a face. “That came out worse than I meant. Sorry.”

Ben sighs, and then gives Gwil a small smile. “Whatever you and Rami want, I’m fine,” he says. “I wouldn’t hate a burger though.”

“Okay,” Gwil says, “burgers it is.” He smiles back, tapping the doorframe a couple times before he heads back out into the flat.

“Sorry, Benny,” Joe says, looking over at him.

“It’s fine, Joe,” Ben says. “Considering we’re literally in the middle of packing all my things, I think I’m aware of the fact that I’m moving.”

“I know,” Joe says, “but I know you don’t like me to bring it up. I’m happy you picked burgers, though. Anywhere else you want to eat before you go?”

Ben shakes his head. “You know we’ll only be two hours away, right? If I want takeaway, I’ll take the train in.” Ben jumps a bit when he feels Joe’s arms wrap around his waist. “Joe,” he says.

“What about if you want me?” Joe asks. “Will you just take the train in?”

“Are you hitting on me?” Ben asks, and he reaches down, lifting Joe’s hands off his stomach. “Gotta say, two days before I leave town, it’s a bit late.”

Joe takes a deep breath, snuggling against him.

“Are you _smelling_ me?”

“I want to remember you,” Joe says.

Ben sighs, and shifts in Joe’s arms, turning around to pull Joe into a hug. “You’re not going to forget me,” he says softly.

“I might,” Joe says. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Ben smiles, resting his head against Joe’s shoulder. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“I don’t like that either,” Joe says, “it just makes me think about how I’m going to miss you.”

“I know,” Ben says. He sighs, and then pulls back, reaching up to ruffle Joe’s hair. “I’ll miss you too,” he says. “I’m not sure I know what do without you.” He leans in, kissing Joe a peck on the cheek. “But you have Rami. And a baby on the way. You’ll be alright.”

“So will you, you know,” Joe says. “I know moving to a new place is scary, but you’re not going alone this time.” He pulls Ben back into a hug. “You’re going to do so well there, Benny, I’m so proud of you.”

“I still can’t believe you’re going to be someone’s husband in a month,” Ben says, laughing a bit, and Joe nods.

“I am,” Joe says. “I’m going to Mr. Malek-Mazzello. Well, one of them, anyway.”

Ben shakes his head, pulling back from Joe. “Well then, Mr. Malek-Mazzello, can I finish packing my wardrobe, please? We need to be done by tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Joe says, and he heads back over to Ben’s bookshelf. They go back to packing, and Ben’s room looks shockingly bare by the time Gwil comes to the door again, announcing that the food has arrived.

“Yum!” Joe says, immediately dropping the books in his hands, and he walks by Gwil to head out into the flat.

“Looks empty,” Gwil says, looking around.

“It is,” Ben says. Gwil holds his hand out to Ben, and Ben takes it, laughing loudly when Gwil spins him in. “What was that for?” he asks.

“You needed a smile,” Gwil says softly, resting his hands on Ben’s waist. “You alright in here?”

Ben nods. “Just…not a fan of packing.”

“Right,” Gwil says. “Packing, or moving?”

Ben sighs, and leans up, giving Gwil a kiss. “I’m okay,” he says. “Mixed emotions.”

“I know,” Gwil says. “But come on, take a break with us, get some food in you.”

Ben looks around. “We’re really almost done in here,” he says. “I could just stay in here and finish up, and then—”

“No, Ben,” Gwil says, gentle but stern, “we’re eating now.”

Ben swallows hard, and then nods a couple times. “Okay,” he says.

“We’ll finish up after. Or tomorrow morning, before the movers come.” Gwil kisses his temple. “Come on,” he says, “got your favourite.”

Ben smiles, and they walk out into the kitchen, where Rami and Joe are setting the table. Ben’s mouth falls open a bit and he looks around at his flat, the first time it’s looked so bare since he moved in. “God,” he says, shaking his head a bit. “I…you got a lot done.” He brings his thumb up to his mouth, until Gwil walks over to him, guiding him towards the table.

“This one’s yours,” Gwil says, pulling his chair out for him. “There we go.”

“It’s so empty,” Ben says, sitting down, looking around at all the boxes. “I…wow. It’s so strange.” He looks at his living room for a few moments longer before he turns, looking down at his plate. “This _is_ one of my favourites,” he says softly, picking up a sweet potato fry. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Gwil says, “you’re welcome.”

“Crazy, huh,” Joe says, looking around the flat as well. “It’s…I mean, you didn’t even move out when we went to Perth. You really liked this place.”

“That’s right,” Rami says, picking up his burger. “Why did you move, and Ben didn’t?”

Joe shrugs. “Mine was furnished, so I didn’t have to worry about moving my shit. Plus, I didn’t really like my place as much. We spent all our time here anyway.”

“You had no idea what was going to happen in Perth,” Gwil says, “what if you’d only been there for two weeks?”

“Probably the same thing that happened when we actually moved back,” Joe says. “Stay with Ben, stay in crew quarters, find a new place. I wasn’t that worried.”

“I just always liked it here,” Ben says. “I wanted to keep it.” He looks around again, and then sighs a bit, taking a bite of his burger.

“I like here too,” Rami says. “It’s sort of like a second home.” He smiles. “You know, we’ve all slept in your bed at some point.”

“We’ve all had sex in there too,” Joe says, and Ben groans loudly, and Gwil starts to laugh.

“Under no circumstances are you two to shag in our new flat,” Ben says.

“Too late,” Joe says, and Ben glares at him. “What do you think we were doing while you and Gwil were checking out the bedroom?”

“Stop it,” Ben says.

“We didn’t,” Rami says, and then Joe mouths at Ben, “ _we did_.”

“I’m just going to go back to packing,” Ben says, making a show of dramatically putting down his burger and pushing his chair back.

Gwil laughs again, reaching out to put his hand on the back of Ben’s chair. “Now now, love, it’s alright,” he says, “I don’t think they did. We would’ve heard.”

“That’s true,” Ben says, pulling his chair in closer to the table again. He grabs another couple fries, chewing them as he takes a sip of his drink, looking around again. “It really looks so different,” he says, and Gwil nods, reaching out to rest his hand on Ben’s leg.

“I know, love,” he says, “but it’s alright.”

“Gwil’s flat looks the exact same,” Rami says. “Packed, unpacked, doesn’t matter.” He winks at Gwil, smiling.

“I’m not much for shopping, what can I say,” Gwil says. “It just means that Ben and I don’t have two of everything. We’re taking his sofa, his dishes, his—”

“His bed,” Joe says, “of which there is only one. So, hey, uh, where are Rami and I sleeping? Because we don’t both fit on that sofa.”

Gwil takes a drink and shakes his head. “Ben’s bed is going in the second bedroom,” he says, “you’ll sleep on that.”

“We bought a bed already,” Ben says. “It’s being delivered tomorrow, Dave’s going to let them in to drop it off.”

“A new bed, huh?” Joe asks. “What size?”

“Super King,” Gwil says.

“Ooh,” Joe says, “how nice. Fancy.”

“It fits in the room,” Ben says. “Mine would be too small for the space.”

“You’re dating a giant, you mean,” Joe says.

“And that,” Gwil says, nodding, smiling. “I need to be able to stretch out,” he says, lifting both his arms above his head, and Ben just smiles, rolling his eyes. “Though if we got a smaller bed,” Gwil says, putting his arms back down, leaning in towards Ben, “we’d have to sleep much closer.”

“Oh god,” Ben says, and he twists in his chair, trying to pull away from Gwil.

“Let’s cancel it, order a single,” Gwil says.

“A single?” Ben echoes. “Do you plan on sleeping directly _on_ me?”

Gwil smirks and shrugs. “If I have to,” he says.

“Please stop,” Ben says, “or I really will go back to packing.”

“No,” Gwil says, tapping the table in front of Ben a couple times, “you’ll finish your supper, like I said.”

Ben automatically picks his burger up again, and then as he’s about to take a bite, he looks at Joe and Rami, who are smiling at each other. “What?” he asks.

“Oh, nothing,” Rami says, looking at Gwil, trying not to laugh. “Just…nothing.” He looks at Joe, who’s just grinning now, and playfully bumps his shoulder against him. “Be nice,” he says softly.

“Oh, I always am,” Joe says, looking at Ben, shaking his head. “You kinky freak.”

Ben coughs a bit on his burger, and Rami starts to laugh despite himself.

\+ + + + +

Ben slowly brushes his teeth, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, looking out at his flat. He just shakes his head in disbelief and walks back into the bathroom, spitting into the sink. He rinses his toothbrush and then flicks off the light, walking into his bedroom, where Gwil’s already curled up under the covers. He looks around his bedroom as well, shelves and wardrobe empty, boxes full.

“Come on, love,” Gwil says, patting the bed a couple times.

“I just— it’s—” Ben sighs, climbing into bed alongside Gwil, tugging at the blankets. “It’s like my whole life is just…in boxes now.”

“I know, love,” Gwil says, resting his arm over Ben’s chest, snuggling closer to him. “But it’s not your life. It’s just your things.”

“I really—” Ben sighs again. “I think I thought I’d live here forever.”

“Really?” Gwil asks.

Ben nods. “I…wasn’t really planning on quitting. Or dating again.” He shifts on the bed. “I just figured I’d stay until my landlord said I had to move.”

Gwil gives him a sympathetic smile, nodding. “Well, I am still sorry you felt you had to quit,” he says, “though I know why you did. I’m a little bit happier that you decided to try dating again.”

“Just a little?” Ben asks, smiles.

Gwil chuckles. “Just a smidge,” he says, holding his hand up, thumb and pointer finger pinched together. “Worked out well for me, anyway.”

“It’s alright,” Ben says, and he sighs, shifting on the mattress. “This is my last night here,” he says. “I…what do I do?”

“What do you want to do?” Gwil asks. “What’s the opposite of christening a room?”

Ben grins. “Call Joe, I’m sure he knows.”

Gwil pushes himself up a bit so that he can settle on Ben’s chest, tucking his head under Ben’s chin. “I know I never officially moved in,” he says, and Ben makes a quiet noise, reaching up to gently run his fingertips up and down Gwil’s back, “but I did always quite like it here.”

“Are you upset with me?” Ben asks suddenly.

Gwil frowns and immediately pushes himself up, looking down at him. “For what?” he asks. “What— why would you ask that?”

Ben shrugs a bit. “I didn’t get into London,” he says.

“Ben,” Gwil says, “I know you’re nervous to move, and I’m sorry about that, but no, I’m not upset with you. I’m proud of you.” He leans in to give Ben a kiss, and reaches out, pushing a couple pieces of unruly blond hair back from Ben’s forehead. “We’ve talked about this, you know I’m not upset. I was just— I hate your flat.”

Ben smiles. “No, you don’t.”

“Absolute rubbish,” Gwil says. “Our new flat is _much_ nicer. _Two_ bedrooms! Hell, two _floors_!”

“You’re being nice,” Ben says.

“Well, it is a nice flat,” Gwil says, “but you’re right, I don’t think this one is rubbish.” He kisses Ben again. “No, love, I’m not upset with you. Frankly, I’m a grown man, and if I didn’t want to move to Wales with you, I wouldn’t. I’d be right here. But I want to go with you. I’m _happy_ to go with you. Don’t doubt that, alright?”

Ben nods. “You’re right,” he says. “I’m just nervous. I’ve felt anxious all week, really. Packing didn’t help. I sort of feel homesick already, and we haven’t even left yet.”

“I know,” Gwil says. “I’m sorry, love. I wish I could fix it.”

“You make it better, though,” Ben says. “If you weren’t going with me, I’d be an absolute mess.”

Gwil smiles and kisses him once more. “Let’s get some rest,” he says. “We’ve gotta have this bed ready to go in the morning.”

“I know,” Ben says, and Gwil settles back down on Ben’s chest. “Goodnight,” he says softly, going back to running his fingers up and down Gwil’s back.

“Goodnight, love,” Gwil says, and he yawns, snuggling against Ben. “It’ll all seem brighter in the morning, I promise.”

“Okay,” Ben says softly, and he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes.

\+ + + + +

Gwil sits on the sofa, giving a quick smile and a nod to the man who walks by him with a large box in his hands. “I really should be doing this myself,” he says quietly, looking at Rami.

“Why?” Rami asks.

“It just seems rude to sit here and watch as they carry all my things.”

Rami shrugs. “It’s a bit odd,” he agrees, “but they are being paid for it. Well. And if they weren’t here to carry your things, they wouldn’t be here at all.”

“That’s true,” Gwil says. He sighs, looking around the flat. “I liked it here,” he says.

“Yeah?”

Gwil nods. “It was a nice…”

“Home?” Rami asks, smiling. “Is that the word you’re looking for?”

Gwil chuckles a bit. “I suppose so, yes,” he says. “Though it didn’t always feel that way. Your flat was more of a home to me than this ever was. But still, I liked it here.” He smiles a bit, nodding to himself, looking around again.

“You never should have moved out,” Rami says, and Gwil laughs loudly.

“No?” he asks. “You’re still not over it, almost two years later?”

“I just think it would have been nice,” Rami says, “to have lived together all this time. Ben could’ve moved in too.”

“I really don't think that would have happened,” Gwil says, “now you’re just being silly.”

Rami smiles. “Maybe. But still. I liked you as my flatmate.”

“I liked you too,” Gwil says.

Rami squeezes Gwil’s arm and then leans against him. “How should we celebrate tonight, then?” he asks. “Our last night in London together.”

Gwil shrugs, shaking his head. “I’m alright with anything,” he says. “I assume we’re getting takeaway.”

“I think that’s a safe assumption,” Rami says, “Joe’s mentioned it once or twice.”

“Have you spoken to him?” Gwil asks. “Are they ready at Ben’s?”

Rami nods. “Joe said Ben seems a little…”

“Anxious,” Gwil says, “he was when I left this morning too. He’s just nervous. He told me he thought he’d live there forever, so. Big change.”

Rami smiles faintly. “I hope…you both come to like living there,” he says. “I know it’s a bit small, but I don’t know. I think it’s pretty. It’s nice. From what we saw, anyway.”

“I don’t think it’s the size of the town that bothers him,” Gwil says. “I just…he thinks I’m still upset with him for not getting into London. Or, no, not still upset, I never was upset to begin with.” He looks at Rami. “And as you know, splitting up Ben and Joe is…”

Rami makes a quiet noise and a bit of a face. “I certainly do,” he says quietly.

Gwil chuckles a bit, and then looks up when one of the men walks back into the flat, heading towards them.

“Your boxes are all packed up now,” he says, and Gwil nods.

“Alright, thank you,” he says.

“And are you coming with us to the other flat? Or walking?”

“Uh,” Gwil glances at Rami, “we’ll just walk. I’ll message them to let them know you’re on the way. They’re ready, though. He has a lot more things.”

“That’s alright,” the man says, nodding. “See you there.”

Gwil watches as the man heads back out of the flat, and Rami texts Joe to let him know to get ready.

“We could’ve gone with them,” Rami says once he’s done, looking up.

“I know,” Gwil says, “but I just wanted another moment here.” He smiles at Rami. “I don’t know.” He pushes himself up and walks over to the window, looking out. “I picked this one,” he says.

“I know,” Rami says.

“Found it on my own and everything.”

Rami nods. “I know,” he says again.

“I felt quite proud of myself at the time,” Gwil says, turning around, looking at Rami. “Thought it— it was like a sign. That I’d be alright here, you know?”

“Think I felt like that the first time I ordered something on the computer,” Rami says.

Gwil smiles. “Exactly,” he says. “I— I’d— we got back, and I needed you, and my doctor, and then I needed Ben, and— finding this flat was like…I did it on my own.” He shakes his head a bit, sniffling. “Don’t know why I’m being so foolish,” he says, looking out the window again. “It’s just a flat.”

“No, it’s not,” Rami says. He pushes himself up and walks over to Gwil, resting against him. “And it’s not foolish, it’s alright to be proud.” He smiles a bit. “Are you upset that I found your new flat?” he asks.

Gwil shakes his head. “No, I’m not,” he says. He smiles down at Rami. “It’s enough to know that I _could_ have found it. I appreciate what you did.”

“You’re welcome,” Rami says. He squeezes Gwil’s hand, and then they stand there together for a few more moments before Gwil makes a noise and turns around.

“Alright,” he says, “let’s head over to see the lads, get Ben out of there.” Gwil glances around, double-checking again that everything that belongs to him is gone, and then he takes out his key, leaving it on the counter.

“You’re good?” Rami asks, and Gwil nods.

“Sure,” Gwil says. He looks around one last time, and then opens the door. “Come on.”

Rami smiles up at Gwil, and then pulls him into a quick hug, snuggling against him, before he pulls away, walking out into the hallway.

Gwil laughs a bit in surprise, and then grabs the handle of his suitcase, pulling the door closed behind him.

\+ + + + +

Ben hovers awkwardly near his suitcase, watching his sofa get carried towards the door. “It’s not going to fit,” he says softly, looking at Joe.

“How’d it get in here then?” Joe asks.

“I don’t remember,” Ben says, “it’s been too long.”

Joe smiles. “It’s okay,” he says. “It’s going to fit. It’s going to be fine.”

“Maybe I should help them,” Ben says.

“Nope, you’ll just get in the way. Ben, I’m gonna need you to calm down.”

“I _am_ calm. I’m fine. I—” Ben lets out a heavy breath. “I’m just nervous. I— what if they break it?”

Joe laughs. “Your sofa has seen a _lot_ of action, it’s going to be fine. Also, why are you clutching onto your suitcase like someone’s about to run off with it?”

“I just want to make it clear that it’s coming with me,” Ben says, “I don’t want them to take it by mistake.”

Joe smiles. “Well, it’s all going to end up in Wales with us tomorrow, so I think you’d be okay.” Ben doesn’t say anything, just keeps anxiously fidgeting, and Joe frowns. “Are we going to talk?” he asks. “Because it seems like we should talk.”

“I’m just going to miss you,” Ben says, looking over at Joe and his eyes are filled with tears.

“Oh, Ben,” Joe says softly. “Hey, hey, there’s no reason to cry. We’re okay.”

Ben shakes his head and wipes at his face, sniffling. “I know I sound selfish, and foolish, I’ve— I’m moving Gwil and I to practically the middle of nowhere, and I love him, but all I can think about is that— I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

“Why?” Joe asks. “Because of me? I mean, as much I love the compliment, that I am somehow worth all of this, that’s…that’s not even close to true.”

“It is, though,” Ben says. “You’re my best mate. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Joe says, “and this is hard on me too, Benny.”

“So ask me to stay,” Ben says. “ _Tell_ me to stay.”

“No,” Joe says, shaking his head. “I’m not gonna do that.”

“Why?” Ben asks. “I’m— otherwise I’ll be there for a year, and—”

Joe scoffs. “A— a _year_. A year! A train ride away. And you think you shouldn’t stay? For what, for me? You can’t leave me. Oh my god, okay, well, that’s— that’s bullshit, because you _have_ left me, and Rami, and—”

Ben’s mouth falls open in shock. “That’s not fair, Joe, it—”

“I’m not saying it to be _mean_ ,” Joe says, “I’m saying it because you— you were so ready to go! You were like, yeah, I know that to make me a better, happier person, I have to move back to London. And you fucking did it! You were like, gone, that was it.” Joe laughs softly. “I mean, as much as I hated it, looking back now, I kind of have to respect it. You were…you knew. Right? And when you moved to London in the first place, you knew. You told Dorset to fuck off. And now you’re moving, with your _boyfriend_ , who you _love_ , with your cheesy rings and…” Joe smiles. “You’re just scared.”

Ben blinks a few times, then nods. “I…you’re my best mate,” he says again.

“Yeah?” Joe asks. “You’re mine too. But you— you can’t not go to university because of me. Or Rami. You’re— you’re— it’s one year. It’s _one year_. I mean, fuck that’s— Gwil and Rami went to space for a year, and you can’t move? To your nice flat beside the yummy pizza place with your cute boyfriend? I mean, fuck, maybe they’re right, our generation is weak.” Ben bites down on his lip, trying not to smile. “Ben,” Joe says, and he sighs, looking around. “I— if this is what you want, okay, you have to do it. You have to go.” He smiles. “I— I mean, I— life is short.”

Ben rolls his eyes a bit, and sighs. “Joe, that’s—”

“No, it is,” Joe says. “Okay? Trust me, I know. Remember? My fiancé almost died. He’s—” His voice breaks a bit, and his eyes start to fill with tears. “Like, that’s undeniable. Okay. I could have lost him. We all could have lost him. And—” He shakes his head a bit. “My dad, you know?”

“Joe,” Ben says softly, reaching out to him.

“I’m just saying,” Joe says, “it’s— it’s one year. And maybe you love it and stay there forever. Maybe you move back to London. Maybe we fuck off to the moon after. But it’s a year. What— it goes by, so quickly, man. It’s been over two years since they came back, can you— so— you know, there’s weekends, and holidays, and I can come to you, I can bring the baby! But don’t…because you’ll miss me. I’ll miss you too.”

“Really,” Ben says sarcastically, wiping at his face. “The bloke who once left his boyfriend and moved into my one-bedroom flat is going to _miss me_. Who knew?”

“Shut up,” Joe says, playfully hitting Ben’s arm. “I mean, of course I am! Of course I am. You know that. You also know that I will message you every day, and call you, probably again every day, except when you’re studying. You— Ben. No. No way.” He shakes his head. “Aren’t you excited? Like to— to study something you like, and be somewhere that you— you know, somewhere new, and just, I don’t know. You know you’re only 29, right. Like, you’re a kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Ben mutters.

“You are one hundred percent a child,” Joe says, laughing. “You’re the baby, look at that face! You— Ben. Come on. Like, you’re one of the best people I know.”

“Joe,” Ben says, “you only know three people.”

Joe laughs loudly. “No, I’m— I’m being serious. Ben, you— you have a law degree. And you’re smart. And you’re kind. And you— you made that program and you helped people. And you—” He looks at Ben. “You managed to leave a guy who was hurting you, and you fucking killed it, man. Like— I’m proud of you. I didn’t even know you then, and I’m proud of you. I— if you can go to law school, and you can leave Paul, and you can move to London, and if you can quit your job because you know you’re not happy there, you—” Joe grins widely. “If you can sing Coldplay to your boyfriend in a crowded bar—”

“Shut up,” Ben says, and Joe laughs.

“I’m— no, I won’t,” Joe says. “Ben, you can _do_ this. For a year, or for forever, you— life is too short to give this up for me and Rami. Not when you know this is the right thing to do. Ben, dude, I— I mean, if you give this up and stay here, I’m never talking to you again, so.”

“That’s not true,” Ben says, and Joe shrugs.

“I don’t know, is it?” Joe asks. “Because if— if you fuck this up, I— I will be very mad at you for hurting my best friend. So just, remember that.”

Ben bites his lip, and then sniffles, wiping at his face. “I—” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Joe says softly, squeezing Ben’s hand. “It’s okay to be nervous, but you don’t have to give up, okay? I’m here. Every step of the way. Best friend mode activated.”

Ben rests against Joe, and after a few more minutes of watching the movers, Gwil and Rami walk in, and Ben visibly relaxes against Joe, smiling.

“Wow,” Rami says, looking around, “your flat looks so different, Ben.”

“How are you, love?” Gwil asks, walking over to him, pulling him into a hug.

“Fine,” Ben says, and Gwil looks over at Joe, who’s shaking his head.

Gwil smiles and presses a kiss to the top of Ben’s head, squeezing him tightly. “It’s going alright?” he asks.

Ben nods, pulling back. “They’re really nice,” he says.

“And strong,” Joe says.

Rami looks at Joe. “Are you standing here checking them out?”

“No! Just admiring their form. They’re not my type.”

Rami smiles. “Who’s your type?”

“You are,” Joe says, and he gives Rami a kiss.

Gwil looks around. “They’re almost done, then,” he says, and Ben nods. “I’d ask if you wanted to sit down but I guess there’s not really anywhere left for that now.”

Rami looks around, and then pushes himself up onto Ben’s counter, smiling. Joe turns to Rami, standing in-between his legs, and Rami wraps his arms around Joe, pulling him in.

The movers come back in, and Gwil waves at them, and one of them waves back as they head into Ben’s bedroom.

Ben sighs and glances down at his watch, nervously twisting it around his wrist.

“What’s wrong now?” Gwil asks, and Ben shrugs.

“Just seeing what time it is,” Ben says. “We’ll be in Aber this time tomorrow.”

Gwil smiles. “Unpacking.”

“Ugh,” Ben groans. “I’d rather not, thank you.”

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Gwil asks. “It might help take your mind off things.”

Ben shakes his head. “No,” he says, “I’m just going to wait until they’re done.”

“Okay,” Gwil says. “What shall we do then, lads?”

“This _is_ kind of awkward, isn’t it?” Rami asks.

“We should’ve planned this better,” Joe says. “I wish I’d brought a board game.”

Gwil smiles. “Yes, we could all be sitting on the floor right now.”

“Sounds alright,” Joe says. He looks at Ben, and then sighs a bit. “Rami and I can take your suitcases to our place,” he says. “Give you guys a minute to say goodbye.”

“Love?” Gwil asks, looking at Ben.

Ben bites down on his lip, and then puts his thumb up to his mouth, biting at the skin by his nail. “Actually,” he says, “I— I’ll go. I’ll take my suitcase.”

“What?” Gwil asks, frowning a bit.

“No, I— I’m just making myself nervous sitting here,” Ben says. “Or standing, whatever. Can we go?”

“Someone has to stay here until they’re done,” Rami says.

“I will,” Joe says, raising his hand. “You three can go.”

“Ben, love,” Gwil says, “there’s no reason to be nervous. We’re just moving.”

“What if they lose our things?” Ben asks.

“Then we’ll buy new things,” Gwil says, and he reaches out, taking Ben’s hand. “It’s okay.”

“Ben,” Rami says, carefully climbing off the counter, “if you want to go now, I’ll walk with you. Would that be alright?”

Ben nods and looks at Joe. “You’ll stay until they’re done?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course,” Joe says.

“So will I,” Gwil says. “I— I hired them, so I feel bad just leaving them to it.”

“Okay,” Ben says. He sighs and then walks towards his bedroom, and he ducks his head in, looking around. Then he walks to the bathroom and does the same thing. He comes back out and grabs his suitcase, and then looks around. “Okay,” he says again, “I— I’m ready.”

“Your key?” Rami asks.

Ben nods, and reaches into his pocket, handing it over to Gwil. “She said to leave them in the drawer there,” he says.

“Okay,” Gwil says. “We’ll be over shortly.”

“Okay,” Ben says, and he pulls the handle out on his suitcase, wheeling it across the flat to the front door.

“I’ve got him,” Rami says, smiling at Gwil and Joe, and then he follows behind Ben, taking Gwil’s bag with him.

“See you!” Joe calls out, and Rami waves, looking back, but Ben just keeps his head down. Joe sighs, looking over at Gwil. “You know this isn’t a… _you_ thing, right? Because it’s not. He’s nervous about moving, not moving with _you_.”

“I know,” Gwil says. “I just feel bad that I can’t help him. I…I’m worried we’re going to get there and he’s going to immediately want to turn around. Or that he’ll start on Monday and come home hating it.”

“He probably will,” Joe says. “All the icebreakers he’s going to have to do. The people he’s going to have to talk to. He’s gonna be so pissed.”

Gwil looks at Joe, who’s smiling at him, and he smiles back. “I’m nervous too,” he says, and Joe nods.

“It’s a big deal,” Joe says. “If we were moving, I’d— yeah, I’d feel it too. That’s normal. I mean,” he blows out a breath, “I love Rami more than anything on the entire planet and part of me is still like, oh my god I’m going to be a husband and a father, and I— you know, it’s just…big things are happening. It can be a lot. And Ben is a bit more sensitive than most.” He smiles at Gwil. “We’ll get him settled in, though. Both of you. I promise.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says. “You’re a good person, Joe.”

“Oh god, don’t,” Joe says, shaking his head. “That sounds too much like goodbye and I can’t right now, I’m not ready. Sunday, that is my goodbye time. Not until then.”

“Okay,” Gwil says softly, and then he pulls Joe into a hug anyway, squeezing him tightly. “You’re one of my best mates.”

“No, Gwil, don’t do this.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Rami. And Ben. And me.”

“Gwil, this is too much emotion, I can’t.” Joe pulls back, looking up at him. “I love you, big guy.”

“I love you too,” Gwil says, and then he pulls Joe back in.

“Oh god you’re a great hugger,” Joe mutters into Gwil’s chest, and Gwil laughs loudly.

“Thank you,” he says, “I’ll take that.”

\+ + + + +

Ben looks over at Rami, sat at the other end of the sofa, and Rami gives him half a smile. “It’s alright,” Ben says, “I know I’m overreacting, you can say so.”

“You’re not,” Rami says. “It’s a big change. London’s…not really like anywhere else. Aber’s so small, and you’re nervous about going back to uni. And you and Gwil are going to be living together now. It’s a lot happening at once.”

“It’s not the living with Gwil I’m worried about,” Ben says. “I know we don’t technically live together now but we spend enough time at each other’s flats that this isn’t really _that_ big of a change.”

“It is, though,” Rami says. “It’s not a bad thing, but it is different. And don’t worry, I don’t think you’re scared to live with Gwil. He’s quite a nice flatmate, actually.” He smiles again. “Is it uni? I know when I started, I— god, I was terrified. Worried I’d embarrass myself every day. Finding the right lecture hall. Meeting new people.”

“It’d be easier if I were like Joe,” Ben says. “He just walks into a room full of new people and…” He looks down. “I’ve just…I’ve been doing nothing for so long. I didn’t mean to, or plan on it, but the idea of…” He shakes his head. “I’m just nervous,” he says quietly.

“New things are scary,” Rami says. “Why do you think I’m having so much trouble convincing Gwil to sign up to do _something_? Why do you think it took us so long to get Gwil out of his room in the first place?”

Ben smiles faintly, and then he groans loudly, lifting his feet up onto the sofa, crawling towards Rami, and dropping down, his head on Rami’s lap. “I wish I weren’t so scared of things,” he says.

Rami nods, reaching out to gently play with Ben’s hair, smiling faintly when Ben closes his eyes, and snuggles a bit closer to him. “I’m going to miss you,” he says softly, “but I’m really happy for you too. You’re going to do such great things.”

Ben opens his eyes and laughs. “Does working in archives count as being _great_?”

“You’re going to be the greatest archivist there ever was, or ever will be,” Rami says, and Ben smiles.

“That’s a lot to live up to,” Ben says.

Rami shrugs. “If anyone can do it, you can.” He rubs his hand over Ben’s hair a bit, messing it up. “Are you feeling better?”

“Of course,” Ben says. “Nobody could feel bad around you.”

Rami smiles. “Good,” he says. “And you know if you need to talk at any time, I’m here, right?” Ben nods, and lifts his head, sitting up just as they hear the front door unlock and open.

“Put your clothes back on, we’re here!” Joe calls out. “Wait, actually, keep them off. I figured out what my goodbye present is.” He walks into the living room. “Oh, you’re dressed. Okay.”

“Well?” Ben asks, looking over at Gwil, who’s walking up behind Joe. “It’s empty?” Gwil nods. “It’s all gone?”

“It is,” Gwil says. “They’ll meet us in Aber tomorrow.”

Ben nods, and then frowns. “Okay,” he says. “That’s okay.” He lets out a heavy breath. “Okay.”

“Last night in London, boys,” Joe says, clapping his hands together, “just how drunk are we getting? How hard are we partying?”

Gwil looks at Ben, eyes wide, and Rami just shakes his head. “Behave,” Rami says.

“Ugh, fine,” Joe says. “Okay. I’m going to order as much food as humanly possible.”

“Why?” Rami asks. “We’re leaving tomorrow for four days.”

Joe shrugs. “Because I can.”

“Who’s going to eat it?”

“I will!” Joe says. “Don’t doubt my abilities!”

Rami sighs, and looks at Ben, who’s clearly stifling a laugh. “Is there room in your flat for me to stay?” he asks.

“There is,” Ben says, “but I think you’re stuck with this one either way,” he says, nodding towards Joe.

“Damn right,” Joe says, and he drops down onto the sofa beside Ben. “What do you want to do tonight?” he asks. “Dinner, movie, TV?” He glances over at Gwil. “What do you think, big guy?”

Gwil just shakes his head, smiling at Joe. “I’m— whatever you three want.”

“There’s nothing you want to do here?” Rami asks, glancing back and forth between Gwil and Ben.

Gwil looks at Ben, and then after a moment, he smiles slowly. “There is _one_ thing I might want to do,” he says, and Ben’s brow furrows in confusion.

“M— me?” he asks hesitantly, looking around, and Joe snorts before he bursts into laughter, and Gwil laughs as well, shaking his head.

“No,” he says. “Well. Not now. But no. Come on. We’re going out.” He turns walking towards the door.

“Oh my god,” Joe says, looking at Ben. “You thought— and the way you said it— oh my god. Amazing. _You_!”

“Well, I don’t know!” Ben says, pushing himself up off the sofa.

\+ + + + +

Rami looks around excitedly, hands pressed against the glass walls of the capsule. He grins at Joe, who’s standing beside him, and bounces up and down on his feet a couple times.

“You know you can get married in one of these,” Joe says, and Rami’s mouth falls open a bit.

“Don’t tempt me,” he says, and Joe smiles, pulling him in.

“We can just have two weddings,” Joe says softly, “that’s fine by me.”

Ben looks over at Gwil, the two of them sitting beside each other on the small bench in the middle of the capsule, and smiles at the look on his face. “Didn’t get enough of this the last time?” he asks.

Gwil shrugs. “Our last night in London, figured we should see as much of it as possible.” He leans in, giving Ben a gentle kiss. “A very lovely thing happened to me here, you know,” he says softly.

“Oh?” Ben asks. “What was that?”

Gwil shrugs again and smiles, giving Ben another kiss. “A _very_ handsome bloke told me he was in love with me.”

“Oh,” Ben says, “how odd— the exact same thing happened to me.”

“What a coincidence,” Gwil says, grinning, and he wraps his arm around Ben’s shoulders, pulling him in. “I think we’re going to be really happy in Aber, love. I know it doesn’t have anything like this, but—”

Ben shakes his head, and rests against Gwil. “It doesn’t need anything like this,” he says. “It’s got you, doesn’t it? Or it will, anyway.”

Gwil smiles and presses a kiss to the top of Ben’s head. “Starting tomorrow, it will have us both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They will finally make it to Wales in the next chapter; I’m sorry (not really) for not hurrying it along, but they still had a couple things to wrap up in London. Chapter Three is where they’ll really start to get settled in and see the town, with Rami and Joe’s help.


	3. Chapter 3

“You’ll be a very good boy for Nelly now, won’t you?” Rami asks, snuggling against Augie, who’s clutched to his chest. “You behave, Daddy will be home on Sunday, I promise.” He presses a kiss to the tip of Augie’s nose, and Augie meows, and Rami smiles. “Yes, I do,” he says. “I love you very much.” He looks up, and then walks over to Ben and Gwil, who are waiting for him by the door. “Do you want to say goodbye?” he asks.

Gwil smiles, and reaches out, gently shaking Augie’s paw in his hand. “Goodbye, old chap,” he says, “it’s been a pleasure.” He leans in, and kisses Augie’s forehead. “I’ll see you soon.” He steps back, and then Rami turns to Ben, smiling brightly at him.

“Oh, it’s not goodbye, Augie,” Ben says, reaching out to gently scratch at him. “I’ll be back, I promise.” He smiles, and leans in, nuzzling against him. “You used to be so little,” he says softly, petting him again. “You be a good boy, and I’ll be back soon, alright? Okay.”

Rami looks up at Joe, smiling, and Joe just smiles and leans in, kissing Augie’s nose. “We’ll be back Sunday, don’t party too hard.” Joe turns, and then turns back. “I mean it, kid! I’ll find out about it.”

“Okay, go play,” Rami says, leaning down to carefully let Augie out of his arms, then he straightens back up. “Everyone has everything?” he asks, looking around. “Not that it’d be a big deal if we forgot something, we’d just come back!” He smiles at Ben. “Because it’s just a very short train trip.”

Ben chuckles at that. “I know,” he says. “But thank you.”

Joe opens the door, and the four of them head down the stairs, Rami making sure the doors are all locked behind them. “Alright,” Joe says, shifting on his feet. He opens his mouth to say something, and then he makes a bit of a face. “Uh, let’s just not talk about it,” he says instead, and Ben nods.

“Agreed,” he says.

Ben and Joe start walking together, and Gwil falls back alongside Rami. “Thank you for everything,” Gwil says. “Every time we stayed at that flat. I appreciate it, you know. And I’m not sure I ever really did a good job of saying it.”

Rami smiles, linking arms with Gwil. “I know,” he says. “You’re always welcome, and it was my pleasure. You’re still going to stay there! That’s not goodbye, you know.”

“I know,” Gwil says, and he looks ahead, watching Ben and Joe together for a moment before he looks back at Rami. “Sit next to me on the train?” he asks, and Rami nods.

“Of course I will,” he says. Rami pulls Gwil in closer, resting against him for a moment. “I’ll always sit by you,” he says. 

“What’s that mean?” Gwil asks, looking down at him.

Rami shrugs. “I don’t know, I thought it sounded supportive. It just means I’ll always be there for you,” he says. 

“Okay,” Gwil says, “I’ll take that then. I’ll be happy for you to always sit by me.”

“Good,” Rami says, and he squeezes his arm, walking towards Leicester Square Station.

\+ + + + +

Gwil shifts in his seat, watching the English countryside fly by on the train, forehead pressed against the glass. They’re just leaving Birmingham behind, and Gwil feels a bit of a twist in his stomach. Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield…maybe he should have gotten off to pay a visit to his parents. He’s sure the other three wouldn’t have minded, he doesn’t know why he didn’t think to ask. He hasn't thought about them in awhile, it seems.

“Alright?” Rami asks, shifting forward to try to meet Gwil’s eyes.

Gwil nods, sitting back in his seat. “Yes,” he says, “just thinking about my parents.”

“Oh,” Rami says. “Well, we can get off at the next station and turn around, if you’d like to go see them?”

Gwil thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. “No, that’s alright,” he says. “Maybe another time. When I’ve planned for it, and we don’t all have suitcases to carry.”

“If you’re sure,” Rami says, and Gwil nods. “Have you spoken to Tiwlip? Any plans for her to come to Aber?”

Gwil smiles faintly, and shakes his head. “No,” he says, “but I’ll take the train into Brum someday soon to see her.”

“That’ll be nice,” Rami says. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I think so,” Gwil says. “I just…I don’t know. I’m thinking.”

“You can tell me whatever you’re thinking about,” Rami says, “I promise I’ll listen.”

“No, I just realized that I hadn’t thought of my parents in awhile,” Gwil says. “That’s all. I— I miss them, of course.”

“I know,” Rami says gently. 

“But I…guess they’re not on my mind as much as they used to be,” Gwil says. “Is that bad?”

“No,” Rami says, shaking his head, “it’s normal. It’s been two-and-a-half years since we came back. I was just telling Ben, I never forget them, but I’m not always thinking about them. I think that’s a good sign.”

“You do?” Gwil asks.

“Of course,” Rami says. “It means you’re happy.” He smiles at Gwil. “And I remember very well when you weren’t, so I like that you’re happy.”

Gwil smiles back at Rami. “I have you to thank for a lot of things,” he says.

“Oh, I know,” Rami says, and Gwil laughs in surprise. “Trust me, I know.” He just shakes his head. “The things I put up with!”

Gwil laughs again, and wraps his arm around Rami’s shoulders, pulling him in. “Almost too much,” he says.

“Almost,” Rami agrees.

“Where was the line?” Gwil asks. “And how close did I come to crossing it?”

Rami holds his hand up, thumb and forefinger pinched together with just the tiniest space between them. “Pretty close,” he says.

Gwil smiles. “And moving away, that doesn’t push me over?”

Rami drops his hand and shakes his head. “No,” he says. “Because for once I know you’re doing something that’s actually _good_ for you. Not some foolish idea of what you think other people think is good for you.”

“Well gosh, Rami, don’t hold back on my account,” Gwil says, and Rami grins.

“It’s a _good_ thing, Gwil,” Rami says. “I’m going to miss you more than words can say,” and he blinks a couple times, clearly trying to keep his tears back. “But it’s a two-hour train ride, and I’m _so_ happy for you.”

“Yeah?” Gwil asks, and Rami nods eagerly. “Okay. Well, I’m going to miss you too.”

“I know,” Rami says, resting against Gwil. “But you know I’m not doing anything until the wedding, so any day that Ben’s on campus, just come in and see me. I’ll be there.”

“Alright,” Gwil says softly, reaching up to brush Rami’s hair back a bit. “I’ll do just that.”

“And you’ll call?” Rami asks, and Gwil nods.

“Of course.”

“And message me every day.”

“If I don’t message you, assume I’ve died.”

Rami grins. “That you’ve annoyed Ben so much he’s killed you?”

“Probably,” Gwil says, and Rami smiles. “Or that this has been some long, drawn out plan for him to get all my money.”

“Oh, that too,” Rami says. He turns in his seat, glancing across the aisle to where Ben and Joe are curled up against each other, either both of them sleeping or at least just resting their eyes. “He does look like the sort.”

“Joe too,” Gwil says, looking over.

“They’re in on it together.”

“Definitely,” Gwil says, and then he and Rami look at each other, and start laughing.

Joe jumps in his seat, opening his eyes and looking over at them. “What’s so funny?” he asks, rubbing at his face.

“Nothing,” Rami says, “go back to sleep.”

“Mm, alright,” Joe murmurs, and he closes his eyes again, turning back to Ben.

Gwil and Rami look at each other again, stifling their laughter. “I think Ben was the brains behind it,” Gwil says softly, and Rami’s mouth falls open, playfully hitting Gwil’s arm.

\+ + + + +

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck me,” Ben mutters, “bloody hell, they’re going to kill us.”

“We’ll pay them extra,” Gwil says, “whatever they need. They’re just right there, we can still see them.” He waves at the truck to prove a point, and one of the men waves back.

They had arrived in Aberystwyth, and gone straight to the flat, where they met with Dave. Their new bed had been delivered the day before, as promised, and was already in Ben and Gwil’s room. They’d put down their suitcases and then chatted a bit with Dave, getting the keys from him, and then Gwil had gotten a message from the removal company, and realization hit that they’d made a mistake. Both Ben and Gwil had forgotten to mention that the part of Great Darkgate they live on is closed to traffic, meaning the truck with their things on it can’t park directly outside the flat.

Ben and Gwil are currently standing on the street outside their flat, watching as the men carry their items in from what is realistically, maybe, a hundred feet away, but it’s enough to make Ben worry.

“Anything we can help with?” Joe asks, ducking his head out of the doorway, and then realizes he has to move so that one of the men can walk by him with a box that reads _kitchen_.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dave assures them, “this happens all the time. Your bed was delivered just fine, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Gwil says, taking Ben’s hand, but Ben just frowns. “Do you want to go back upstairs and start unpacking, and I’ll stay down here to see if they need a hand?”

“Alright,” Ben says, watching for a few more moments, before saying goodbye to Dave, and heading back up into the flat. He looks around, and sighs. “I already don’t want to do this,” he says, and he looks at Rami, who’s got the _kitchen_ box at his feet, taking out dishes. “Oh, no, please,” he says. “Don’t.”

“Why, do you like them in a certain way?” Rami asks, looking at the cupboards. “Sorry.”

“No,” Ben says, “I just feel terrible that you’re unpacking my things.”

Rami looks back, smiling at him. “We’re here to help,” he says. “Well, I am. Where’s Joe?”

“Bothering Gwil, I think,” Ben says, and Rami chuckles.

“Yes, that doesn’t surprise me, I suppose,” Rami says. “No, let me do this. It’s still early enough in the day, we could probably get a lot done. I did some research online, you’re supposed to unpack the kitchen first, then bedrooms, and then the bathroom. That’s easy.”

Ben smiles at Rami. “You did research. On moving?”

Rami shrugs, putting the plates in the cupboard. “You can find anything online, you know.”

“I do know,” Ben says, and he laughs a bit.

“Besides, there are four of us,” Rami says, “and you don’t really have _that_ much. It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you,” Ben says, and Rami just nods. “No, really,” he says. “Thank you.”

Rami smiles. “You remember that you helped Joe and I move in, right? That’s the same thing.”

“I know,” Ben says, “I just appreciate it.”

“Of course, you’re welcome,” Rami says. “Now get Joe back up here, he can help you with the bedroom.”

“Okay,” Ben says, and he walks over to the door, about to yell down the stairs just as Joe comes bounding up. “Your fiancé says you have to help me unpack upstairs.”

“Oh yeah?” Joe asks. “My fiancé can—”

“Can _what_ , Joe,” Rami asks, popping his head out of the kitchen.

“Uh, nothing,” Joe says, “let’s go!” He grabs onto Ben’s arm, and they head upstairs, where a few boxes have already been carried, and Joe looks around. “Excited?”

“To unpack?” Ben asks. “No, actually. Literally never.”

“Fair enough,” Joe says. “But you’re making this place your own now.” He opens one of the boxes, looking in. “Books,” he says. “We need your bookcase for that.” He moves onto the next box. “Oh, this must be Gwil’s.” He looks around. “We need your nightstand for that.” Joe sighs. “I don’t think there’s much we can do without your actual furniture in here.”

“Help me put away clothes?” Ben asks, looking at the wardrobe, and Joe nods.

“Wait, on one condition,” Joe says, and Ben just looks at him. “We’re getting pizza tonight.”

“Oh— yes, Joe,” Ben says, and he opens up one of the boxes. “Italian Stallion, whatever you’d like.”

“Score!” Joe exclaims.

\+ + + + +

“What do you think?” Gwil asks, glancing over at Rami from where he’s stood at the window. “Does it look nice here?”

“It looks lovely,” Rami says. “Yes, I really like that.”

“Great,” Gwil says, stepping back, looking at the wind chime, with the names of his nieces and nephews inscribed. “Yes, that’s nice. Thank you for your help.”

They both look over when the door unlocks, and Joe bursts in. “ _Guys_!” 

Gwil flinches back a bit in surprise. and then hurries over to take some of the food from Joe and Ben.

“You will never believe this,” Joe says.

“What?” Rami asks, in a tone that suggests yes, he probably will.

“So we were looking at their menu,” Joe says, “and yes of course I was focused _very_ heavily on their Italian Stallion range.”

“Oh, it’s a range, is it?” Gwil asks. “Not just a pizza?”

“Right,” Joe says. “It’s like, a whole section.” He sets a couple things down, and then grabs a pizza box. “Let me introduce you to…” He slowly opens the box, looking around. “ _The Pleasure_.”

Rami and Gwil glance at each other, and Rami snorts, trying not to laugh, while Ben just rolls his eyes, going to the cupboards to start getting out plates.

“But what is on… _The Pleasure_ , you may be wondering,” Joe says.

“Are you going to say it like that every time?” Gwil asks.

“Chorizo, bacon, Italian sausage,” Joe says, “ _and_! Welsh ground beef.” Gwil and Rami just look at Joe, not saying anything. “Come on! It’s _The Pleasure_ and it’s got Italian and Welsh meat on it! It’s perfect in every way!”

Gwil just smiles, and Rami shakes his head. “What did you get, love?” Gwil asks, looking at Ben.

“You guys don’t appreciate me,” Joe murmurs.

“Chicken bites, spicy cheese bites, something called lush bites that I don’t know what they are,” Ben says, “and another pizza.”

“Wow,” Gwil says. “Sounds good.”

“Everything looked good too,” Ben says. “I hope you’re alright with me getting fat because that’s all I’m going to eat every day.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll mind,” Gwil says, standing behind Ben, wrapping his arms around Ben’s waist, snuggling against him.

“More cushion for the pushin’,” Joe says, “that’s what they say.”

“Oh, they didn’t sell beer,” Ben says, “and I wasn’t sure about going off to find any on my own, so we just got pop instead, yeah?”

“That’s fine,” Gwil says, and he holds onto Ben as Ben takes the drinks out of the bag, moving with him. 

“Oh!” Ben says. “You’ve got the wind chime up. Looks great.”

“Good,” Gwil says, kissing the back of Ben’s neck before he finally steps back from him.

“Thanks for going to get supper,” Rami says, and Ben smiles at him.

“Least I could do.”

“I was looking at movie showtimes while we waited,” Joe says, pulling out a chair, sitting down next to Rami.

Gwil makes a bit of a face, opening up the box of chicken bites. “I’d really rather wait until tomorrow,” he says, looking up. “We can go, if you’d like, but I’d rather stay in.”

“Me too,” Rami says, nodding. “I think we’d all enjoy it more tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Joe says. “But! That means I have a surprise. So eat up, boys.”

“Everything looks really good,” Rami says, reaching out to take a slice of pizza, putting it on his plate before taking the box of cheese bites. “I think this is nice.”

“Me too,” Gwil says, sitting down at the table. “Love?”

Ben glances over at him, and nods. “Yes,” he says. “It’s just like back home.”

Gwil smiles, and reaches out, squeezing Ben’s leg.

“I gotta say,” Joe says, picking up his pizza, “first night in a new town, and we’re spending it the _exact_ same way we spend our time in London? Come on.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Rami says. “We spend our time how we like it.”

“Please tell me you guys will find something to do,” Joe says. “I swear to god if you spend every night in this place, I will lose my mind.”

“Is there a playhouse here?” Rami asks. “Or maybe the uni puts on some sort of show? That would be lovely.”

Ben shrugs. “I haven’t thought to check.”

“We’ll look after supper,” Gwil says, patting Ben’s leg again.

Joe picks up his can of Coke, looking around the table. “Well,” he says, “to Ben and Gwil.”

Gwil smiles widely, and Ben blushes a bit, already feeling uncomfortable. 

“And to your first place together,” Joe says. There’s a beat of silence where the other three think that Joe’s done, but then of course he continues. “I’m just going to be honest and say that— uh, I didn’t think this was going to happen.”

“Joe,” Ben says softly.

“No, I mean, I knew, I’ve known it was going to happen for awhile,” Joe says, “just not at the beginning, you know? Right away? At the beginning, I had no clue what was going to happen. Fair?”

“Very,” Gwil says, nodding.

“And then…things happened,” Joe says, “and, uh, well—”

“This isn’t one of your better speeches, Joe,” Rami says.

“I know that,” Joe says, “I can feel. I’m not trying not to offend anyone.”

Gwil smiles. “I assume by _anyone_ , you mean me.”

Joe winks at Gwil, smiling. “When all Ben could think about was trying to get you to open up to him, I thought maybe one day, we’d…help you go back to school. Or work. And then our job would be done, and you’d be fine, and you’d be our friend, but I didn’t know then that you guys would be moving in together, and be absolutely, totally in love.”

“Oh, no, we’re not,” Ben says, shaking his head. “We’re just roommates.”

Gwil grins at Ben, leaning over to kiss his temple.

“I’m just really happy for you both,” Joe says. “That you have this, that you found this. And each other. And that everything, all the drama—”

“Maybe don’t mention that,” Rami says quietly.

“I mean, it _sucked_ ,” Joe says, “but hey, now you’re here, and you live together. So, that’s a win, right?”

Rami just shakes his head a bit, and lifts his drink up. “To Ben and Gwil,” he says, “welcome to your first home together.”

“Thank you,” Ben says quietly, and he shifts in his chair, moving a bit closer to Gwil. “Thank you for everything. Not just today, but all of it.” He looks at Joe. “I hope you’re practicing your vows more than you practiced that.”

Joe clutches at his chest. “Ouch, Ben, that hurts. What about your best man speech? I can’t wait to hear it.”

“I don’t think so,” Ben says, “I’ll defer to John on that one.”

“What?” Joe asks. “You’re not going to make a speech about how we met and how much you love me?”

Ben shakes his head. “Nope. You don’t deserve it.”

“He’s joking,” Gwil says, “I’ve seen him working on it.”

“Good,” Joe says. “That’s what I like to hear. No way you’re getting out of this one, Benny.”

“I’m busy that weekend.”

“You are _not_!”

“Alright, everyone please just eat your supper,” Gwil says, and Joe takes a large bite of his pizza.

“Fuck, that’s good,” Joe mutters. He groans softly. “Mm. _The Pleasure_.”

Gwil grins and Ben just rolls his eyes.

“Please stop saying it like that,” Rami says, and Joe sighs.

\+ + + + +

“Oh, look,” Gwil says, leaning over to show Rami his phone. “There’s the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.”

“Really?” Rami asks, shifting closer to Gwil. “Can I see?” He carefully takes Gwil’s mobile, and starts scrolling. “Oh, this is perfect! They show films, and plays, and comedy shows. Oh, please tell me you’ll go out and see some of these!”

Gwil glances over at Ben, who just shrugs.

“Sure,” Ben says, “I don’t see why not. We’re not antisocial.”

“You’re not?” Joe asks, walking back down the stairs. “Hmm.”

“We just prefer a quiet night in,” Ben continues, ignoring Joe. “But certainly, we like plays, and comedy shows. We’ll go.”

“We should try to go to something every week,” Gwil says. “Make ourselves get out of the house. Depending on your coursework, of course.”

“Okay,” Ben says, smiling. “That sounds lovely.”

“Okay,” Joe says, dropping down on his chair, holding onto his backpack. “These are for you.”

Ben sighs. “We don’t need gifts,” he says.

“I know,” Joe says. “And yet, here we are. Gifts.”

“Plus, everything we ordered should be getting delivered soon enough,” Rami says. “Oh, send pictures when you get them, please?”

“Of course,” Ben says, smiling. 

“Okay,” Joe says, handing a box over to Ben. “I— think you’re going to cry, I realize now, because I think I’m going to cry.”

“What?” Ben asks. “Why?”

“Just open it,” Joe says. “I— okay.” He wipes at his eyes, and Ben frowns, but he opens the box anyway, pulling out one rectangular lamp, and then another matching one.

“Okay,” Ben says, looking over one of them. “Thank you. I don’t know that a light would make me cry, but they’re lovely.”

Gwil reaches out, picking up the other lamp. “They are nice, thank you.”

“You get one,” Joe says, “and we get one.”

Rami smiles. “You plug them in, and when you’re thinking of us, you touch your lamp, and our lamp lights up.”

“Or vice versa,” Joe says, smiling at Ben. “You know. ‘Cause I’m gonna be thinking of you a lot.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Ben says softly. “That’s so thoughtful. Thank you.”

“That’s a lovely idea,” Gwil says. “That’s…that’s very sweet. They’ll both be on all the time. Hmm. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Joe says softly, and then he sniffles and clears his throat, wiping at his eyes. “Here’s another one for you.” He takes out a box and hands it to Gwil, looking away.

Gwil opens the box, and carefully takes out a candle, with a label on it that reads _Homesick_. “What’s this?” he asks.

“It’s supposed to smell like London,” Rami says. “So that when you miss it, you can light it, and it’ll feel like you’re back there. Whether it will work or not, I don’t know.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says, taking a deep breath. “Oh, earl grey, I think.”

“It’s very sweet,” Ben says, still looking at the lamp. “Thank you.” He looks up, and pauses, trying to think of something else to say, but then he just gives them a small smile and wipes at his eyes. “Thank you.”

“There’s one more,” Rami says, nudging Joe’s foot.

“We can’t possibly take it,” Gwil says. “We don’t need gifts.”

“It’s from Nelly, though,” Rami says. “She wanted us to give it to you.”

Gwil shakes his head a bit. “I told her we didn’t need anything.”

“You think she listens to that?” Joe asks. “She’s related to this guy, and you _know_ he doesn’t.” Joe reaches into the bag, and takes out an envelope, handing it to Gwil. “Don’t worry, they’re not some super fancy family heirloom you have to feel guilty about taking. At least, I assume it’s not. I think it’s just a card.”

“Did you open it?” Rami asks.

“No! But I’m not blind. And I have hands.”

Gwil smiles, offering it to Ben. “Love?”

Ben shakes his head. “Go ahead. It’s probably mostly for you anyway.”

“Well, alright,” Gwil says, and he opens the envelope, taking out a card. “ _To Gwil and Ben_ ,” he says softly, then he looks up at Ben. “Uh, sorry. It says, _Here’s flowers for you; hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram; the marigold, that goes to bed wi’ the sun._ ” He looks up at Ben again. “What’s that mean?”

Ben smiles. “I think it’s Shakespeare.”

“Oh,” Gwil says, looking back at the card. “Yes, of course.” He clears his throat. “ _I thought I’d buy you a bouquet, but it just seemed like another thing to carry with you. Instead, I found a florist in Aberystwyth and told him you were coming._ ”

“Oh, that’s so sweet!” Rami says. “That’s so lovely.”

“ _I’ve already paid, so you can’t say no. It should be enough to make sure you have flowers for the rest of the year, so that your flat will always feel like home. Congratulations, Ben, and warm wishes to you both, love, Nelly._ ”

“That’s so kind,” Rami says. He reaches out, and Gwil hands him the card, and he looks at Ben.

“What do you think of that?” Gwil asks.

Ben smiles. “I’m surprised you haven’t run out of the flat already to go order a bouquet or two.”

“Oh, no, I can wait,” Gwil says. “We’ll go together.” Ben smiles and leans in, giving in to give Gwil a quick kiss, briefly resting his head against Gwil’s shoulder before he straightens up again.

\+ + + + +

They don’t make it up much later than that, the four of them collectively deciding that they’re too tired for much else, and they should get a good night’s rest so that they can get out and walk around Aber the next day, and do a bit more unpacking. Rami and Joe get ready in the bathroom first, while Gwil and Ben put new sheets on their new bed, and then go brush their teeth as well. They all say goodnight, and get into bed, and Gwil and Ben rest against each other, taking up only a little bit of space on the big mattress.

Gwil falls asleep first, and Ben stays awake, listening to the city outside. It’s so much quieter than his old flat. And there aren’t as many lights shining in through their window. “You know I read something online,” Ben says softly, resting on Gwil’s chest, drawing small circles on his skin.

“What’s that?” Gwil murmurs.

“That your first night in a new place, only half your brain goes to sleep. And the other half stays awake. Evolutionarily, it’s to protect you, against new threats.”

“Is that why it’s…” Gwil groans a bit, looking over at the clock, “3:30 in the morning and you’re still awake?”

“I’m sorry,” Ben says. “I didn’t realize how late it was.”

“It’s okay, love,” Gwil murmurs, shifting under Ben, running his fingers up and over Ben’s arms. “Just close your eyes and try to rest.”

“I’ll try,” Ben says, and he closes his eyes, but he’s not sure about how well he actually rests. When he wakes up in the morning, he manages to drag himself downstairs, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He drops down on the sofa next to Rami, and snuggles against him.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Rami asks, and Ben shakes his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. Your bed was as comfy as ever,” he says, and Ben has to smile at that.

“Brings back old memories?” Ben asks, and Rami laughs.

“We were thinking about getting breakfast and walking up to see the campus,” Rami says, “what do you think?”

Ben yawns and nods, stretching out a bit. “That’s fine,” he says. “Especially the breakfast part,” and Rami laughs.

\+ + + + +

“Wait, okay, Gwil, duck down a bit,” Joe says, and Gwil smiles, rolling his eyes as he lowers himself further into the frame of the photo.

“Joe, people are looking at us,” Ben says, and Joe shrugs.

“Who, these Welsh assholes? I don’t care, I’ll never see them again. Say cheese!” They all smile and then Joe looks at his phone, grinning. “Very nice,” he says. “Very nice!” They’re standing in front of the Aberystwyth University sign, Joe’s idea of course. “This is so exciting!”

They walk further up the street, all of them looking around at the grey buildings, the tall trees, and the green fields. “Where are your classes, love?” Gwil asks.

“I’m not sure, I haven’t checked yet,” Ben says. “Should probably do that before Monday morning. Well, that’s just Welcome Week, whatever that is.”

“This is your university!” Rami says excitedly, looking around. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Sure,” Ben says, shrugging. “It’s not that bad.”

Joe takes a deep breath. “That’s fresh air, there. That’s _sea_ air. You’re not going to die of smog inhalation like you would back home.”

“I think it’s pretty,” Rami says. “I like it. I think you’ll fit in well here.”

“Yeah?” Ben asks, looking over at him, and Rami nods.

“Yeah. I like the idea of you as a student.”

Ben smiles. “I do like being a student. No, I— this is alright, yeah. And it was an okay walk from the flat.”

“Is there a bus, though?” Joe asks. “What if it rains? You know, like it does.”

“I’m not sure,” Ben shrugs, and then he glances back at Gwil, who’s stopped walking, looking at his phone. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Gwil says, shaking his head. “Just looking up the campus map for a bus stop.”

“And?” Ben asks.

Gwil looks up, smiling. “There’s a botanical garden.”

Joe snorts. “Well, it’s been a nice day, but I think we’ve lost Gwil now. Okay, let’s go, leave him to his flowers.”

“Can people visit it?” Ben asks. “I’d really like to go to another garden with you.”

“I’m not sure,” Gwil says, “it doesn’t say.”

“I’ll find out,” Ben says. “During my Welcome Week, I’ll make sure I ask someone.”

“Alright,” Gwil says, and he reaches out, taking Ben’s hand, and suddenly Ben feels a bit lighter, and a bit better about the move.

\+ + + + +

Joe snorts a bit, looking at the building. “ _This_ is your movie theatre? Uh, okay guys, might be time to move home.”

“It looks a bit…dated,” Rami says, shifting on his feet. “But I’m sure it will be lovely! It’s a cinema, they’re all great.”

Joe rolls his eyes. “When you two go missing, I’m going to tell the cops you were murdered here.”

“Oh, Joe,” Rami says, “stop it. It’s quaint, right?” He looks around at Ben and Gwil. “Right?”

“Certainly,” Gwil says. “I don’t mind! As long as they sell popcorn, I’m alright.”

“Yeah,” Ben nods. “I mean, we’re lucky they have a cinema here at all. This is fine.”

“Whatever,” Joe says, shaking his head, walking into the building. They look around, the lobby quiet, and then Joe’s eyes catch on the ticket prices. “Dude, it’s fucking _cheap_ here,” he says softly.

“I know,” Ben says, nodding. “Do you like it better now?”

“Uh, yeah,” Joe says.

“London _is_ expensive,” Rami says, and Gwil nods.

“I certainly won’t miss that,” he says. “All the money we’re saving on rent moving here.”

“Well then,” Joe says, “you can treat us!”

“Joe, don’t be rude,” Rami says. “ _We’ll_ pay.”

“Nobody has to pay,” Ben says, “we can all pay for ourselves.”

“With what money?” Joe asks, slinging his arm over Ben’s shoulders, and Ben just sighs. “Whoops, that was rude too, I caught it that time. Let me pay. As an apology.”

“So my forgiveness is only worth six quid?” Ben asks.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Joe says, nodding. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I know that you…I know how you feel about it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Ben says. “Or, it _will_ be. Because you’ll buy me the largest popcorn and Coke Zero they sell, and whatever sweets I’d like.”

“Got it,” Joe says, stepping up to the counter. “Rami, you got Gwil?”

“I can pay my own way,” Gwil says.

“But you won’t,” Rami says, taking out his wallet, smiling at Gwil. “My treat. It’s a gift! Alright?”

Gwil sighs. “Alright,” he says, smiling back at Rami. “If you insist.”

\+ + + + +

Gwil takes Ben’s hand when they sit down in the cinema, and Ben looks over at him, straw hanging out of his mouth. He takes a sip of his drink and then puts it back in the cupholder, looking over at Gwil. "Yes?" Ben asks.

"Nothing," Gwil says softly, and he gently squeezes Ben’s hand.

"Then why are you smiling like that?" Ben asks, and Gwil laughs a bit.

"Can't I just smile?" Gwil asks.

Ben shrugs. "I guess so," he says, and he shifts in his seat, moving a bit closer to Gwil. "It's a bit weird though," he whispers, and then he smiles up at Gwil. "I'm joking, of course,” he says. “I love your smile."

"Oh god," Joe mutters from the other side of Ben, and Ben rolls his eyes, not even bothering to look over at him.

"I was just thinking," Gwil says softly, and Ben just waits for him to continue. "Once you're in them, most cinemas are sort of the same." He glances around, and then Ben does the same, before they look back at each other. "So if we ever miss London, we can just come right here, and it'll be alright. Just like home."

Ben smiles at Gwil, and rests his head against his arm. "That's sweet," he says softly, and Gwil leans in, pressing a kiss to the top of Ben's head. "Thank you," Ben says, and Gwil just nods.

\+ + + + +

Joe tugs at his jacket, feeling a bit of a chill in the air as they walk back towards the flat, Rami having double-checked the directions on his phone as they left the cinema.

"Do you think they'll make a sequel?" Rami asks him, and Joe glances over.

"Yeah, probably," he says.

"I hope so," Rami says, "I kind of liked it."

Joe smiles, and reaches out, taking his hand. "Yeah? Well, if they make another one, I'll go with you opening day. You, me, and the kid.”

Rami smiles back, squeezing Joe's hand. "And it wasn't a terrible cinema, was it."

Joe sighs and shakes his head, looking back at where Ben and Gwil are walking together, Gwil whispering something in Ben's ear that makes him laugh loudly, the sound ringing out into the evening. Joe looks back at Rami, and shakes his head again. "No," he says softly, "I guess not."

"I liked the popcorn," Rami says.

"Yeah, me too," Joe says. He gives Rami a small smile, and Rami smiles back, but it's not a completely happy one.

"I know you don't want to leave them," Rami says quietly, and Joe glances back again, watching for a moment as Ben points out a museum they're walking by, and Gwil nods. Joe nods too, looking down at the ground as they walk. "Neither do I," Rami continues, and Joe sniffles, wiping at his face. "I wish they were staying, I wish things were different."

"Don't let Ben hear you say that," Joe says quietly. "I think it would kill him."

"I know," Rami says, briefly looking down at his feet. "Trust me, I do. I just…the best thing we can do is like the place they're moving. And it's not so bad here, is it?"

"I guess not," Joe says. "It's just…"

Rami bites on his lip, and glances back at the two of them again. "I think we have to let them go," he says softly, and Joe squeezes his hand as Rami reaches up to wipe at his face.

"What are you lads talking about up here?" Gwil asks suddenly, popping his head into the space between Rami and Joe.

"Just how much we liked the film," Rami says, and he looks at Gwil with a big smile.

"Rami's hoping for a sequel," Joe says, and he quickly sniffles before giving Gwil a smile as well.

Gwil frowns a bit, catching the look on Joe's face, but he doesn't say anything. Because he knows. He squeezes Joe's shoulder and nods. "Yes, I liked it too," he says instead. "Love? What did you think?"

"Yeah, it was good," Ben says, nodding. "Oh, a barbecue place," he says softly, mostly to himself.

Rami looks at Gwil, giving him a sad smile, and then he gently clears his throat. "Ben! There's a tattoo shop here. Going to get another one?"

Ben looks over to where Rami's gesturing, and then smiles and shrugs. "Oh, I don't know," he says. "I'm not that young anymore."

"Oh god," Joe says. "You're _29_ , and I'm turning 37 tomorrow, can we please stop with that?"

Ben grins at him, looking around at the other shops as they pass. "Yes, you're awfully old," he says, and then he playfully sticks the tip of his tongue out before he starts to laugh.

"Oh, fuck off," Joe mutters. "Your boyfriend's old too!"

"Don't drag me into this," Gwil says, and he falls back a bit to reach out and take Ben's hand.

"I think Ben _likes_ that Gwil's older," Rami says, turning to smile at Ben, and they all laugh when Ben looks away, cheeks red, pretending to distract himself with a sign in the window of a bank.

\+ + + + +

Ben sleeps a bit better that night; at least, he’s not still awake at 3:30 talking to Gwil about evolution, but he’s still not entirely comfortable in their new room yet.

When he wakes up on Saturday morning, he stretches out under the blankets, and groans softly, reaching up to rub at his face. He pushes himself up a bit, and looks over at the light shining in through the half-opened blinds. He sits up and reaches out, opening the blinds the rest of the way, peering out. He watches the people walk by on the street below for a few moments, and then glances behind him, wondering how long Gwil’s been up for. He knows they still need to get groceries, but he hopes that Gwil hasn’t gone out to do it on his own. It wouldn’t really be getting off on a good foot if Gwil’s the one who runs all the errands while Ben stays in bed all morning. He sighs and crawls to the edge of the mattress, rolling off. He grabs a pair of joggers and tugs them on, walking across the room, and opening the door. The door to the second bedroom is open as well, so he knows that Rami and Joe are awake as well. He hurries to the bathroom, and then heads downstairs. 

“Sorry I slept in,” he calls out.

“Ooh, close your eyes,” Rami says, hurrying over to Ben before he can step into the living room, putting his hand up to Ben’s eyes.

“Oh, no,” Ben says softly, and he ducks his head away.

“Sorry,” Rami says. “But close your eyes, okay? Is that alright?”

Ben nods, and closes his eyes, shifting on his feet. “Okay,” he says. “What’s going on? If this is some kinky sex thing, I gotta say, I’m out. Really.”

“Dammit,” Joe says, and Ben smiles.

“Come here,” Rami says, holding onto Ben, guiding him a couple steps further into the living room. “Okay, just a bit more. Okay. Stand here.”

“What’s going on?” Ben asks.

“A surprise, love,” Gwil says, and Ben turns towards the sound of Gwil’s voice.

“Hold out your hands,” Rami says, taking Ben’s hands, positioning them.

“Are you sure this isn’t a sex thing?” Ben asks, and Rami laughs.

“I’m sure,” Rami says. “It’s better.”

“Wow,” Ben says, “that’s surprising to hear _you_ say, you pervert.”

“He might be right, Ben,” Joe says, “this is pretty great.”

“What is it?” Ben asks, looking at where he thinks Rami is. “Wait— it’s _Joe’s_ birthday, why am I the one getting a surprise? We don’t need any more—” He turns his head again when he hears what he thinks sounds like a…chirp, maybe? A squeak? And then he can see the shadows of someone moving in front of him, and then there’s a light weight in his hands, and another tiny squeak. “Is that…” Ben opens his eyes, and he gasps softly, looking at the tiny orange and white kitten in his hands. “Hi,” he says, immediately bringing the cat to his chest, snuggling against it. “Oh, hello, little thing.” He looks up, seeing Gwil standing in front of him, smiling down at him. “Hi.”

Gwil leans in and gives Ben a kiss, and then gently pets the kitten. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I— how long was I asleep?” Ben asks. “We didn’t have a cat when I went to bed.”

“No,” Gwil says, shaking his head. “The lads went out this morning to get her.”

“It’s a her?” Ben asks, and Gwil nods.

“See?” Joe says. “I only put _very_ important things in my calendar.”

Ben grins at Joe, and then looks down at the cat, giving her a tiny kiss. “You gave me a kitten,” he says, then looks at Gwil. “Sorry, _us_. Ha. I know she’s ours. Gosh, she’s so pretty. Where is she from?”

“Joe found her,” Rami says, and he reaches out, gently running his finger down her back, smiling. “Just like he found Augie.”

“Just what sort of blackmarket cat ring are you involved in?” Ben asks, looking over at Joe, who just shrugs. 

“Rami finds your flat, I find your cat, we’re a team,” Joe says. “Do you like her?”

Ben nods eagerly, and then grins, squeezing her gently. “She’s lovely,” he says. “What do you think?” he asks, looking at Gwil.

“She’s beautiful,” Gwil says, smiling. 

Ben grins and leans up, giving him a kiss, and then he walks over to Joe and leans in, kissing his cheek. “Thank you,” he says.

“Yeah?” Joe asks, and Ben nods. 

“Of course. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Joe says, and he reaches out, petting her.

“Oh!” Ben says, glancing back at Gwil. “Does she have a name?”

Gwil shrugs. “Whatever you’d like.”

“Me?” Ben asks.

“Of course,” Gwil says, “I don’t mind.” He smiles brightly at Ben. 

“Okay,” Ben says softly, “I’ll think about it.” He frowns, looking around. “Where’s her…loo?”

Gwil chuckles a bit. “She has one down here, and we’ll put one upstairs, for when we take her to bed. She’s still too little for lots of stairs.”

“Oh, okay,” Ben says. “And do we…have those?”

“It’s part of the gift,” Joe says, and Ben smiles at him.

“Thank you,” Ben says. “Oh, she’s so lovely.” He nuzzles against her, smiling at her little squeaky meow, and then laughs. “I’m sorry I slept in,” he says.

“That’s alright,” Gwil says. “If you’d been up there much longer, we would’ve brought her upstairs to meet you.”

“She hasn’t been here long?” Ben asks, and Gwil shakes his head. “Okay, good, I’m glad I haven’t missed much. Do you want to see her?” he asks.

“I’d love to, thank you,” Gwil says, carefully taking her out of Ben’s hands, holding the kitten up against his chest. 

“Gosh, she’s so lovely,” Rami says, hurrying over to Gwil, leaning in to look at her, smiling.

Ben smiles, watching Gwil with the kitten, and then he looks over at Joe. “You’re a good mate,” he says, and Joe shrugs.

“I knew you’d wanted this for awhile,” he says. “It was what, _two_ years ago, when you asked Rami if Gwil liked dogs?”

Ben blushes a bit and looks away, shifting on his feet. “That was just a…a dream I had.”

“What sort of dream?” Gwil asks.

Ben just shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says, “don’t worry about it. Just silly stuff.” He rubs his stomach. “I could eat,” he says. “Have you guys had anything?”

Gwil shakes his head. “I’m going out to get groceries soon,” he says. “Need to get something for Joe’s birthday. Can’t be eating out all the time.”

“Oh,” Ben says. “Where are you going?”

“Tesco,” Gwil says. “Eight minute walk, apparently. You can stay here.”

“Oh,” Ben says, “but…that’s not really fair, is it? That you go and I don’t? I’ll go.”

“Are you sure?” Gwil asks, petting the kitten as he talks. “I don’t mind,” he says. “You stay here with her, and one of the lads can come with. We shouldn’t be gone long. We just need enough to get us through a few days.”

“No, I’ll go,” Ben says, “I’d like to get out.”

“She has to stay here, though,” Gwil says, looking at the kitten, and Ben smiles.

“Who wants to come with me?” Ben asks, looking around. Rami and Joe glance at each other, and there’s a reluctant pause, and Gwil laughs. “Alright,” Ben says, “I guess I’ll go alone and let you three stay with the cat.”

“Okay!” Joe says happily, taking the kitten from Gwil’s hands. “Bye, have fun!”

Rami sighs. “No, I’ll come,” he says. “That’s alright.”

“You’re sure?” Ben asks. “You’re alright leaving your new best mate behind?”

“She’ll be okay here,” Rami says, smiling at her, and giving her a quick kiss. “But maybe we take a taxi back, yeah? Get dropped off at the end of the street?”

“Sure,” Ben says, “good idea.” He reaches out, taking Gwil’s hand, gently squeezing it. “Anything in particular you want?” he asks, and Gwil shakes his head. “Okay, just give me a second to change.” Ben runs upstairs and trades his joggers for jeans, and grabs a jumper to tug on over his t-shirt, coming back downstairs to find all three of them looking at the cat. “Ready?” he asks, and Rami reluctantly pulls away, nodding.

“I love you,” Gwil says, not looking up, and Ben’s not sure if he’s talking to him or the kitten, but he says it back anyway, and then Rami gives them both a smile and a wave before he and Ben walk to the door together.

“Well,” Gwil says, looking at Joe. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you!” Joe says, and he walks over to the sofa, sitting down, letting the cat knead her tiny paws on his lap. “You know, not a bad way to spend it, really.” He smiles down at her. “You really gonna let Ben name her?”

Gwil frowns. “Certainly, why wouldn’t I?”

Joe shrugs. “I’m just saying…Augie Two is up for grabs.”

Gwil laughs. “Well, I love it, but the last thing Augie needs is an ego boost. He’ll be unbearable if word gets out.” He walks over to the window, looking outside.

“Are you watching them leave?” Joe asks. “Pretty sure they’re not having a secret affair or anything.”

“Oh, no,” Gwil says, turning back around. “I’m just looking. Seeing what it’s like here on a Saturday. I don’t know.” He gives Joe a quick smile and then walks over, sitting next to him on the sofa. “I…”

“You okay, big guy?” Joe asks, and Gwil nods.

“Yes, I think so,” Gwil says. “It’s just a big change, I think.”

“Sure is,” Joe says.

Gwil shifts, turning to reach out to the kitten, petting her gently. “It’s different,” he says softly. “I can’t explain it, really.”

“That’s okay,” Joe says. “You don’t have to. Or you can try, and I’ll listen. I’m— I’ve heard everything Rami has to say about the Mercury and adjusting to life here, I’m sure I can help. Or, I can try.”

Gwil smiles at him. “That’s very kind of you, thank you.” He looks around. “I’ve got a cat, Ben’s out getting groceries. This is my flat.”

“It is,” Joe says. “Though, to be fair, it’s been your flat since you signed the lease, you just live here now.”

“Right,” Gwil says softly. “No, I— I don’t know what it is. Today just feels different, somehow.” He frowns a bit. “You must think I’m being so foolish.”

Joe shakes his head, and he carefully lifts the cat up so that he can move closer to Gwil, pulling him in. “No, I don’t,” he says. “I— I’ve never thought you were foolish. Not even once.”

Gwil snorts at that. “I think we both know that’s a lie.”

Joe grins, pulling back. “Okay, I haven’t thought you were foolish in a very long time, how’s that? But I do think you’re nervous. And maybe a little homesick, no matter how much you claim that London wasn’t actually for you, and no matter how much you're trying to pretend you're strong so that Ben feels okay.”

Gwil smiles, and nods slowly. “You may be right about that.”

“Yeah,” Joe nods. “It’s okay to be sad, Gwil. I’m going to cry the _whole_ train ride home. I cried a little last night too.”

“You did?” Gwil asks, and Joe nods.

“Of course,” Joe says. “I— I’m crying, Rami’s crying, we’re— nobody’s happy we won’t see you everyday, Gwil. But we’re happy that you’re here, and you’re with Ben, and you’re happy together. This— it means a lot to him, and it means a lot to me.”

Gwil nods, wiping at his face, and he pulls Joe back in again. “It’s just one year, right?” he asks, voice rough with tears.

“One year,” Joe says. “And Rami may not know this yet, well, he kind of does, but I will follow you literally anywhere after this.”

Gwil laughs, and tightens his hold around Joe. “I know,” he says softly. “But you’ll have a baby, and a husband, and—”

“And a job that would let me transfer to probably any office that I want,” Joe says, “so.” He rubs Gwil’s back. “You’ve just gotta get settled in, and you’ll be happy here, I promise.” He pulls back, giving him a small smile. “It’s a big change, but it’s a good change. I’d never let you guys do it otherwise.”

Gwil nods, and wipes at his face again, and then clears his throat. “Can I see her?” he asks, and Joe laughs.

“Of course,” Joe says, picking her up off the sofa, handing her over to Gwil. “She’ll be like a teddy bear. Anytime you miss me, just hold her.” 

Gwil huffs a quiet laugh. “She is a little ginger like you anyway,” he says softly.

Joe looks at Gwil, his own eyes filled with tears, giving him a sad smile. “I’m going to miss you.”

Gwil nods, and closes his eyes, more tears spilling down his cheeks. “I don’t know if I’ve said it enough to you, but I do— I love you,” he says. “You’re one of my best mates.”

“I know,” Joe says, leaning in closer to Gwil, “I love you too.” He reaches out, petting the cat. “You know Ben’s going to pick some weird-ass Shakespeare name, right?”

Gwil laughs a bit. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Like Grimalkin.”

“That’s okay.”

“Oh my god,” Joe whimpers, rubbing his forehead. “Please, I— I’m taking her back, I’m taking her _home_ , if you name her Grimalkin. Augie’s got a new sister, I guess.” He looks at Gwil. “You really— you’re like, really in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Gwil says. “Of course I am.”

“Good,” Joe says, nodding. 

Gwil smiles. “It’s so lovely to have a cat again. You really gave us a cat. On _your_ birthday.”

Joe shrugs. “Seeing you happy is part of my gift. Hopefully not my _entire_ gift, I am still a very greedy man.” Gwil snorts at that. “So, I’ll let you make me supper, and you can give me whatever amazing present you have hiding around here, and we’ll call it even.”

Gwil smiles. “Okay,” he says, “deal.”

\+ + + + +

“Gwil!” Ben calls out, opening the front door. Gwil and Joe look up from where they’re sat on the floor, the kitten playing in between them. “They have a farmer’s market here,” Ben continues, setting the grocery bags down on the table before taking off his shoes. “Every Saturday, apparently. We should go sometime.”

“That sounds lovely,” Gwil says, pushing himself up, then reaching down to pick the cat up off the floor, cradling her to his chest. “I’d like that.” He walks over to the table, smiling at Rami, and leaning in to give Ben a kiss. “How was the trip?”

“Great,” Ben says. “I think I bought everything we need for supper. And it’s really a nice walk.”

“Good,” Gwil says softly, and he looks over at Rami.

“And!” Ben says. “I’ve thought of a name.”

“Oh!” Gwil says. “I’d love to hear it.”

“You have to tell me if you hate it,” Ben says. 

“I’m sure I won’t,” Gwil says, petting the cat, “but of course I would.”

“It’s from _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ ,” Ben says.

"Called it," Joe says from the floor. "Weird-ass Shakespeare name incoming in three...two..."

“I’ve never read it,” Gwil says, “but it’s quite popular, yes? A comedy, with the fairies?”

Ben nods. “I’d…like to name her after one of the fairies, actually.”

“Alright,” Gwil says, “whatever you’d like.” He lifts the cat up, putting himself eye-to-eye with her. “Hello there,” he says, “I’m Gwil. What’s your name?”

Ben glances nervously over at Joe, who seems to be eagerly awaiting his response as well. “Mustardseed,” Ben says, and Joe immediately smiles, trying not to laugh.

Gwil lowers his eyes, looking at him. “Mustardseed?” he echoes.

Ben nods, and then looks over at Rami, who’s giving him an encouraging grin. “Yes,” he says, looking back at Gwil, “Mustardseed. Because of her colour. And, well, mustard is a plant. Right? A flower?” He gives Gwil a nervous smile. “Do you like it?” he asks.

Gwil lowers the cat down, and slowly grins. “I…” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Sure,” he says, “it’s lovely.”

“You think it’s dumb,” Ben says, “don’t you?”

“I think it’s not what I was expecting,” Gwil says, “but no, I don’t think it’s dumb. Can I call her Mustard for short?”

“Sure,” Ben says, “I think that’d be alright.”

“Well, alright then,” Gwil says, still grinning. “I— hello, Mustardseed. I’m going to take care of you now, alright? We both are.” He leans in, and gives Ben a kiss. “Mustardseed. Alright. I like it.” 

“Told you he would,” Rami says, and Ben glances over at him, smiling. “Can I see her?” Rami asks, holding out his hands, and Gwil hands her over to him. “Hi, Mustardseed,” he says softly.

“I think I got enough,” Ben says, looking around at the bags of food. “For a bit, anyway. I’m sure at one point we’ll realize we need something simple like butter and have to run out, but this should be a good start.”

“Let me help,” Gwil says, and he opens one of the bags, starting to empty it. “Thank you for going out for us,” he says.

“Of course,” Ben says. “I didn’t mind.”

“And for me?” Joe asks, walking over to the table, starting to glance through the bags.

“Oi, stop that,” Ben says, “it’s a surprise.”

“Ooh,” Joe says, looking at Gwil, raising his eyebrows, “Gwil, your boyfriend’s getting a little bossy with me. I like that.”

Ben doesn’t say anything, just sighs and shakes his head, walking over to the cupboards.

“I’m going to just play with Mustardseed,” Rami says, and he spins a bit, holding her to his chest. “You guys can handle the groceries. Hello, hi. Aren’t you just the prettiest?”

“Hey!” Joe says. “What about Augie?”

“Augie’s handsome, there’s a difference,” Rami says, and he smiles at the kitten, kissing her nose. “Gosh, you’re so sweet,” he says, and he sits down on the sofa, lifting the cat up into the air, then snuggling her against his chest. “You can sleep with me tonight, won’t you? Yes of course you will.”

“I don’t think we have a cat anymore,” Ben says to Gwil, watching Rami.

Gwil smiles, shaking his head. “I don’t think so either.”

\+ + + + +

Gwil look over from the stove, watching Ben walk to the front door. “And where are you off to?” he asks.

Ben looks over at Gwil as he tugs on his trainers. “That’s not going to be a thing now, is it?”

Gwil shakes his head. “No, of course not,” he says. “Sorry.”

Ben gives him a quick smile. “Good. But to answer your question, I’m going to pick up Joe’s cake.”

“Oh, yes!” Gwil says, at the same time Joe excitedly calls out, “my cake!” 

“Do you need help carrying it?” Gwil continues, and Ben just shakes his head.

“No, I shouldn’t,” he says.

“Where’s the bakery?” Rami asks, looking over from where he and Joe are playing with the kitten.

Ben takes out his phone, quickly typing in the business name and looking at the address. “Erm, Great…Darkgate,” he says. “That’s…here, yeah? That’s our street.”

“It is,” Gwil says, nodding. “Where is it, though? Big street. Are you sure you can carry it?”

Ben puts their address and the address of the bakery into Google Maps, and then frowns. He walks over to the window, looking outside. “It’s right there,” he says, tapping on the window.

Gwil turns and looks, then walks over to the window, seeing where Ben’s pointing. “You mean…right across the street.”

“Yup!” Ben says cheerily, and he leans up to give Gwil a quick kiss. “Be back in a second.”

“I guess so,” Gwil says, and he walks back over to the stove. “Be safe!”

Ben laughs. “I think I’ll be alright. If I get in any trouble, I’ll throw a rock at the window.”

“Seriously,” Joe says, “there’s a _bakery_ here too? What the hell, babe, how did you find this place?”

Rami shrugs. “I don’t know, I’m just good at it.”

Ben smiles behind him and then opens the door, heading downstairs. He steps outside and glances both ways, before he remembers that there are never any cars on that part of the street, and he hurries across, heading into the front door of the white stone building. He’s surprised when he walks in that it’s not just one business, but several smaller storefronts in a hallway. He glances around at the signs until he sees the bakery, and pushes open the door, smiling at the woman behind the counter. “Hi,” he says. “I’m here to pick up a cake?”

“What’s the name?” the woman asks, and Ben walks up to the counter, looking at the other cakes and cupcakes on display.

“Ben,” he says, “but the cake would say Joe.”

She smiles at him. “Vanilla and passionfruit?” she asks.

Ben nods. “Yes, that’s the one.”

“Just give me a moment, bach,” she says, and she walks into the back of the store. Ben looks around for a few moments, until she comes out back out with a large box in her hands, and he smiles at her. “Bit awkward to carry,” she says, setting it down. “Will you be alright?”

Ben nods eagerly. “I just live across the street, actually,” he says. “So, just a quick walk.”

“Oh, you’re the one who we all saw moving in,” she says, and he nods. “We were wondering who it’d be.”

Ben lifts his hand, giving her an awkward wave. “Just me,” he says. “Well, not _just_ me, but me. I had no idea you were so close. Or that there were so many shops in here.”

“There’s almost anything you could need,” she says. “Picture frames, jewellery, key cutting, guitars, crystals, a seamstress.”

Ben smiles faintly at her. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”

“Are you just new here?” she asks.

Ben nods. “Yes, I’m just starting uni on Monday.”

She smiles at him. “Well, remember us next time you need a cake,” she says.

“I will, thank you,” Ben says softly, taking out his wallet to pay. He carefully picks up the box, and then shifts it in his hands. 

“Let me get that for you,” she says, hurrying to open up the door for him.

“Thank you,” Ben says, glancing behind him. He walks down the hallway to the front door, and sighs, turning so that he can carefully push the door open with just his shoulder. He shifts the box again, and then walks across the street. He gets to the front door of their building, and then he tilts his head back, looking up it. He sighs, wondering how he’s supposed to unlock the door with a cake in his hands. Why didn’t he think this through when Gwil literally asked if he needed help five minutes ago?

Ben debates knocking heavily on the door with his foot, before he starts looking around for a place to put the cake down while he can get his keys out. He jumps back when the front door starts to open, and the first thing he sees is a wild head of curly white hair.

“Hello,” the man says, in a soft gentle tone, and Ben gives him a polite smile. “You must be my new neighbour.”

Ben nods. “Yes,” he says, “I’m Ben. We’ve just moved in.”

“Yes, I heard you,” the man says, and Ben looks down briefly.

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I hope we weren’t too loud.”

“Well, taking a sofa upstairs is hard to do quietly,” the man says, and he gives Ben a friendly smile. “Do you need a hand?” he asks.

“Yes, please,” Ben says, “if you could just hold the door open for me. My mates will let me in upstairs.”

“Of course,” the man says, and he steps out of Ben’s way, holding the door open for him.

“Thank you,” Ben says, looking back at him. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get in.”

“Is that from the Market Hall?” the man asks, and Ben nods. “Lovely choice! They do a wonderful vegan cake.”

Ben smiles. “We’re just— it’s just vanilla and passionfruit,” he says.

“Sounds delicious,” the man says. “Well, I’ll be off! Have you been to the castle yet?”

Ben shakes his head. “Not yet, no.”

“It’s only about three minutes that way,” the man says, pointing down the street. “Very lovely if you like that sort of thing.”

“I love it,” Ben says, “I love history.”

“Then take a visit! It’s worth it.”

Ben nods. “I will, thank you. And thank you for the door,” he says. “Otherwise I’d be stuck out here eating this whole thing alone.”

The man laughs, and waves at Ben, carefully letting the door close before he turns and walks away.

Ben watches him for a moment and then heads up the stairs, using his foot to knock.

“Hello, love,” Gwil says, opening the door for him. “How’d you get in then?”

“I met our neighbour,” Ben says, walking in and setting the box down on the table before reaching down to take off his shoes. “He let me in.”

“Ooh, what sort of he?” Joe asks.

Ben frowns. “Uh, what sorts are there?” he asks.

Joe shrugs. “Cute ones, young ones, old ones—”

“He’s an old one,” Ben says. “But very polite. I apologized for the noise we made moving in. He didn’t seem to mind, though.”

“You didn’t offer him any of my cake, did you?” Joe asks.

Ben sighs. “ _No_ , Joe. But should I?”

“No!” Joe says quickly.

“Then don’t annoy me.”

Rami looks at Ben, and then at Joe, and then starts to laugh.

“Hey, it’s my birthday,” Joe says, “you can’t talk to me like that.”

Ben shrugs, walking over to the counter, setting the box down and out of the way. “Just did,” he says, and then he smiles brightly over at Joe. “How is supper going?” he asks Gwil, resting his hand on his lower back.

“Just about ready to start getting ready,” Gwil says. 

“There’s all sorts of shops in that building there,” Ben says. “Not just a bakery. If we need a key cut, I know where to go.”

“Brilliant.”

“Oh also, our neighbour said the castle is just down the street from here,” Ben says, “three minutes. Maybe we can go tomorrow, before Rami and Joe catch their train? Just to have a quick look around.”

Gwil smiles, nodding. “I’d like that,” he says, and he leans in, kissing Ben. “See? You like it better already.”

Ben smiles, and shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says softly. “It’s not…terrible.”

“Glowing review,” Gwil says, and Ben smiles again. “Do you want to start getting out plates and drinks for everyone?”

“I suppose,” Ben says, and he reaches up, opening the cupboard. “Since Joe’s too lazy and Rami’s too busy.”

“She’s the loveliest little thing,” Rami says, “I can’t be expected to _not_ play with her.”

“Augie is going to be so jealous,” Joe says. “Man. You’ll be lucky if he lets you back in the house, smelling like some other woman.”

“I’ll make sure I wash my hands before we get home,” Rami says, and he pushes the tiny crinkle ball towards her, smiling.

“And you’re _sure_ you don’t want another one,” Joe says, shaking his head.

Ben opens the refrigerator, taking out four beers, setting them on the table, and then grabs utensils, placing them out as well. “Can I help with anything else?” he asks.

“No, I’m almost done,” Gwil says, looking at the timer. “But thank you.”

“Okay,” Ben says, and he takes a deep breath. “It smells absolutely delicious.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says, and he smiles when Ben wraps his arms around him, snuggling against him. “Alright?” he asks, and Ben nods, closing his eyes. Gwil reaches up, brushing Ben’s hair back a bit, and leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Happy?” he asks softly.

Ben makes a quiet noise that Gwil hopes means _yes_ , and snuggles even closer to him. They stand there together until the timer goes off, and Ben steps back, gently clearing his throat and wiping at his eyes, walking into the living room, leaning down to pick up the kitten.

“Hey!” Joe protests.

“She is mine, you know,” Ben says, and he smiles at her, walking back into the kitchen.

“Supper’s almost ready!” Gwil calls out, and he looks down at Ben and the cat, smiling. “Has she come to watch?”

“Just saying hi,” Ben says softly. “She’s so sweet.”

“She’s lovely,” Gwil says, nodding.

Ben walks back out, sitting down at the table, holding her in his arms, and watches as Joe walks over to him, pulling out the chair next to him. “Hello,” he says.

“Hey,” Joe says. “How’s it going?”

“Alright, I think,” Ben nods, scratching Mustardseed’s stomach, looking over as Rami walks into the kitchen to help Gwil with the food. “I’m tired,” he says softly.

Joe frowns at him. “Didn’t sleep well?” 

“Not yet,” Ben says. “Maybe tonight.”

“Rami was just joking about us sleeping with her,” Joe says, “she can stay in your room.”

“No, you two can have her for tonight,” Ben says. “It’s part of my gift to you.” He smiles at Joe, and they sit there together, until Rami walks over with a couple plates in his hands, and Ben leans down, carefully putting the cat on the floor.

“Thank you,” Joe says, smiling at Rami, and then he leans down, taking a deep breath. “Holy shit your boyfriend can cook,” he says, looking at Ben. “What’s in this Shepherd’s Pie, Gwil?”

“Welsh lamb mince,” Gwil calls back, walking into the kitchen with a couple plates as well, setting them down before taking a seat. “Cabbage, parsnips.”

“Fuck me,” Joe murmurs. “Mmm. This looks so good. Thank you!”

“My absolute pleasure,” Gwil says, picking up his beer, twisting open the top. “Shall I make a speech to you now?” he asks. “Since you’ve made so many lately.”

“Oh, I’d love to hear it,” Joe says. “What do you got?”

“Hmm,” Gwil says, and he smiles at Ben, who just smiles back and shakes his head. “Let’s see,” he says. “The first time I ever really spoke to you was a homework assignment.”

Rami grins at that, biting down on his lip to try to avoid bursting into laughter.

“And I dare say, you’ve grown on me since then.” Gwil smiles, and takes a drink of his beer, and Joe’s mouth falls open.

“That’s _it_?” Joe asks. “That’s my birthday speech?”

Gwil shrugs, laughing a bit. “What? I think it was brilliant. Really captures…us.”

“Ben,” Joe says, “you’re just— your boyfriend— Rami! Come on.”

Ben raises his hand to his mouth, shoulders shaking as he laughs. “Okay,” he says. “Joe.”

“Yes.”

“The first time I ever really spoke to you—”

“No, stop,” Joe says, shaking his head. “Fine. Fine! I make so many great speeches, and this is the junk you’re giving me. Fine. I can see I’m not appreciated here. I’ll take my cake and go.”

“It’s just hard,” Ben says. “Anything I could say would sound like goodbye, and that’s an awful way to celebrate.” He smiles at Joe. “Besides, you know there’s nothing I could say that would ever be enough. Happy Birthday.”

“Happy Birthday,” Rami says, raising his bottle up, and then he leans over to give Joe a kiss. “I love you,” he says, smiling and kissing him again.

“Okay, that was pretty good,” Joe says, and he smiles at them all. “This is a cool way to celebrate. New city, new flat. It’s nice.” He picks up his fork, and then takes a bite of the Shepherd’s Pie, looking over at Gwil. “Fuck that’s good,” he groans, and Gwil smiles proudly.

\+ + + + +

Ben and Gwil sing loudly, and Rami lets their voices drown his out a bit, as Ben carefully walks over to the table with Joe’s cake. He leans down, putting the cake in the middle of the table, and then he reaches out, ruffling Joe’s hair, and Joe opens his eyes, grinning widely.

The three of them finish singing, and Ben takes his seat, and Joe applauds, still smiling. “This is _amazing_ ,” he says, pushing himself up in his seat to look all around the cake, made to look like a baseball glove, holding a ball. “Oh my god.”

“That’s brilliant,” Gwil says, nodding. 

“I hope you like it,” Ben says, smiling at Joe. “I just thought…” He shrugs. “I just wanted you to have something nice.”

“They did a great job,” Joe says. “Thank you! I— no, this is really cool.” He takes out his phone and takes a couple photos of it, and then Ben takes his mobile out as well.

“Let me get one of you and Rami,” he says, and Joe grins, lifting his arm up so that Rami can snuggle against his side, and they both smile at Ben. “So handsome,” he says, and Joe and Rami smile at each other.

“Do you want to cut it?” Gwil asks, picking up the knife.

“No, thank you,” Joe says, “I would like to be served.”

“Alright then,” Gwil says, and he stands up, making a cut.

“Wait a second,” Joe says, and he looks at Ben. “Where’s _your_ cake?”

“I don’t need a cake, Joe,” Ben says.

“But you were supposed to have one!” Joe exclaims. “I— we haven’t celebrated you yet.”

“Joe,” Ben says, “you’ve moved us in, you bought us a _cat_ , and gave us more gifts than we ever needed. Trust me, I’m alright. By the way, where is Mustard?” He looks around, and then smiles when he sees her asleep on the sofa.

“Those don’t count,” Joe says. “Those were for the _both_ of you! Housewarming stuff. You’re going back to university!”

Ben shrugs. “We had a dinner when I got accepted, remember? Joe, I promise, I don’t need a cake.” He smiles at him. “It’s enough that you’re here, alright? Both you. Besides, you won’t share? With your best mate?”

Joe looks at Ben, and then sighs, looking at Gwil. “Give him the first piece,” he says. “He deserves it. All I did was have a birthday.”

Gwil smiles at Ben, holding out the plate to him. “Here you go, then,” he says, and Ben accepts it, looking over at Joe. 

“Thank you,” he says, and Joe nods. “Happy Birthday.”

“Congratulations,” Joe says, and he accepts his slice, looking down at it. “Ooh, it’s got fruit in it!” he says, picking at it with his fork. He takes a big bite, and then smiles at Ben. “It’s good,” he says, mouth full.

Ben laughs a bit. “Good,” he says. “I’ll remember that for the next cake I need.”

“Gwil’s birthday,” Joe says, pointing at Gwil with his fork.

“Oh,” Gwil says, taking a small piece of cake. “London or Aber?” 

“Ooh,” Joe says, “there are choices now.” He takes out his phone again. “Your birthday’s on a Sunday.” He narrows his eyes at Ben. “I’m assuming you have classes the next day.”

Ben nods. “I would, yeah. And you’d have work.”

Joe sighs. “Well, okay! Come to London for the Friday and Saturday, head back on the Sunday.”

Gwil looks at Ben, who just nods, and then Gwil smiles at Joe. “That sounds lovely,” he says. “Thank you.”

“We’ll see you before then though, you know,” Joe says.

“Well, I should think,” Gwil says. “Your wedding’s in less than a month.”

“But before that too,” Joe says, and he looks around the table. “Right?”

“Of course we will,” Rami says. “It’s only two hours away, right?”

“Yes, exactly,” Gwil says. “It’ll be alright. It’s— two hours, that’s almost nothing. That’s just, what, two episodes of my biology podcast.”

Joe starts to laugh, and he covers his mouth so he doesn’t spit out any cake. “I love that you measure time in biology podcasts,” he says.

“Well, I just mean—”

“He knows what you mean,” Rami says, “he’s just being silly.” He smiles at Gwil. “We can still see each other all the time.” He blinks quickly, and then takes a bite of cake before he wipes at his eyes.

“Oh, Rami,” Gwil says softly.

Rami finishes chewing and he shakes his head, sniffling. “I’m fine,” he says. “It’ll just— it’ll be different. That’s all.”

Ben looks down, picking at his cake, biting on the inside of his lip.

“You’re going to do so well, Ben,” Rami says, looking over at him, trying to change the subject. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Right,” Ben says softly. He picks at his cake for another moment before he pushes his chair back. “I’ll go get your gift,” he says, a bit too loud. He walks towards the stairs, and then Rami glances around, pushing his chair back as well. He follows Ben up the stairs, and hovers by the doorway of Ben’s bedroom. 

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Rami says, watching Ben go to his wardrobe, taking out a wrapped box. “I don’t mean anything by it.”

“I know,” Ben says. “I just— I’m taking your best mate away from you.”

Rami smiles faintly, shaking his head. “You’re not taking him anywhere, he’s happy to be here with you.”

“I’m going to miss you too, though,” Ben says, and Rami nods, wrapping his arms around Ben, pulling him in. 

“I’ll miss you too,” Rami says, and tears spill over his cheeks. “I— you were the first one I spoke to. You’ve always been so kind to me, you did so much.”

“I’ll miss your hugs,” Ben says, and he starts to cry as well. “And your smile.”

Rami pulls back, grinning despite his tears. “You know you can always call me,” he says, and Ben nods. “I _want_ you to.”

“I’m so worried I’ll— I don’t know what to do without you both,” Ben says, shaking his head. “I— I feel like part of my heart is— I feel like I’m losing a limb.” He looks at Rami, and wipes at his face. “I’m so scared to go to bed tonight because I know you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“I can stay,” Rami says quickly. “Joe has to work on Monday but I don’t, I’ll stay here as long as you need me.”

Ben looks at Rami and then starts to laugh, sniffling. “You think Joe would leave if you stayed?”

Rami shakes his head. “No, not really,” he admits. “I—” He blows out a breath. “We can do this you know.”

“I don’t know if we can,” Ben says, shaking his head.

“Realistically,” Rami says, “what do you think the longest is we’ll go without seeing each other?”

Ben shrugs. “I— I don’t know. Two weeks?”

“There!” Rami says. “See?”

“Uh, no,” Ben says, shaking his head. “What?”

“We’ve been apart longer than that,” Rami says. “Right? Or almost as long, when Joe and I go to New York. And we’re okay then, aren’t we?”

“That’s different though,” Ben says.

Rami shakes his head. “Not if we don’t think of it that way,” he says. “Just pretend Joe and I are in New York. And then you’ll see us, and it’ll be like we’ve come home.”

“And what about me and Gwil?” Ben asks. “Where are you going to pretend we’ve run off to?”

Rami smiles. “I don’t know,” he says. “Wales, I suppose.” He laughs a bit. “I am so happy for you Ben, you have to know that. We’re all proud.”

“I know,” Ben says, nodding. “And it helps, but…I think it’d be easier if I was moving _or_ starting uni. Not both. Both is just— I’m a mess.”

“It’s scary,” Rami says. “But it’s not the scariest thing you’ve ever done, is it?”

Ben looks at Rami, and shakes his head. “No,” he says softly. “Not even close.” He sniffles. 

Rami reaches out, squeezing Ben’s hand. “I have to grab Joe’s gift, give me a moment?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ben says, and he wipes at his face, walking with Rami out into the hallway, waiting for Rami to come back with a bag in his hands. He smiles at him. “Do you have any advice for new students?” he asks.

Rami smiles at him. “Have you prepared all your icebreaker answers?” he asks. “What’s the most interesting thing about you?”

Ben laughs softly. “I’m dating a guy who was born in 1905, does that count?”

“Hmm, it is interesting,” Rami says, “but it’s not the most interesting thing about _you_.”

Ben makes a quiet noise, nodding. “I— guess that’s true,” he says. “I’ll have to do some more thinking, then.”

They walk back downstairs together, and both Joe and Gwil immediately push their chairs back, ready to hurry over to them.

“It’s alright,” Rami says, walking to the table, sitting back down. “I’m surprised you didn’t eat all my cake while I was gone,” he says to Joe.

“Thought about it,” Joe says, looking at Ben, and then back at Rami. 

“Love?” Gwil asks softly, but Ben just smiles, and leans down to give Gwil a kiss before he takes his seat again.

“Just had to get Joe’s present,” Ben says, lifting up the box, setting it on the table. “That’s all.”

Gwil frowns, but Ben just keeps smiling at him, and Gwil relaxes, shifting in his seat. “Well,” he says. “Whenever you’d like, Joe,” he says.

Joe looks at the box, and looks up at Ben and Gwil, shrugging. “I’m sure whatever’s in there is pretty great,” he says, “but right now, the company is better.” He smiles, taking another bite of cake. “And the cake,” he says, nodding as he chews. “The cake is fucking fantastic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I named their cat Mustardseed, yes I stand by it and she's a sweetheart and I love her. 
> 
> Also, hmm, who's their downstairs neighbour??? I think we know.
> 
> (also yes because someone asked, those lamps are real and I think Joe would love them)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> « rating and tags updated, applies to this chapter »

Rami makes a quiet noise, and sighs, tugging a bit at blankets. He lets out another breath, and then rolls onto his other side, snuggling against Joe.

"Morning," Joe says softly.

"Morning." Rami groans a bit, stretching out under the blankets. He slowly opens his eyes, smiling at Joe, and then he grins when he sees that Joe's sitting up a bit, Mustardseed curled up on his chest. "Morning to you too, sweetheart," he says, reaching out to gently pet her. He pushes himself up a bit, and yawns loudly, resting against Joe's arm. 

"Sleep okay?" Joe asks, and Rami shrugs.

"Alright," he says, rubbing at his face. "Did you?"

Joe briefly bites down on his bottom lip, and then shakes his head. "Not great, no."

Rami sighs, and nods, reaching up to tilt Joe's head towards him, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry," he says.

"Yeah," Joe says. "So am I." He shakes his head. "The idea that I have to like, get up and go to work tomorrow like everything's fine, I don't know." He shakes his head again. "It kind of sucks."

"Yeah," Rami says, nodding. "It really does."

Joe blinks quickly, tears coming to his eyes. "I mean, I can go months without seeing my family, but the idea of going like, a week-and-a-half without seeing Ben and Gwil is just…really shitty."

"Because they're our best mates," Rami says, "and we see them every day. They live— well, _Ben_ lives less than five minutes away."

Joe laughs a bit. "Yeah, gosh, Gwil already lives in the middle of nowhere. A twenty minute walk and all."

Rami smiles at that. "I hated that bloody flat," he mutters, and Joe laughs again. 

"I know you did," Joe says, "but I guess…it was important to let him live there, right?"

"Yeah," Rami says softly.

"I guess it's important to let them live here too, then, right?" Joe asks, and Rami nods.

"Ben getting the chance to go back to uni and find a job he loves is more important than us," Rami says. Then he frowns. "It is, right?"

"Yeah," Joe says, "I think so. Ben's pretty great, so…"

"He is," Rami says. "I still— I can't imagine the two of you being mates."

"Hey!" Joe exclaims, and Mustardseed startles a bit on his chest, and Joe gently pets her. "Hey," he says again, calmer this time. "I'm pretty great too."

"I know that," Rami says, smiling. "I knew that from— day one. I've always fancied you. I just…knowing what I know about Ben, and how shy is he, I'm surprised that he— _you_. You can be a bit much sometimes."

"Oh trust me," Joe says, shaking his head a bit. "I know. Sometimes I'm a little surprised too. I think I scared him at first."

Rami laughs a bit at that, shifting back down onto the mattress. "I'm sure you did," he says. 

"I'm overwhelming."

Rami smiles, looking over at Joe. "That's a good word for it." He yawns, wiggling a bit under the blankets. "You're a good friend, though."

"Yeah?" Joe asks, and his eyes fill with tears again.

"Yeah," Rami says, and Joe nods.

"I'm sorry you have to leave Gwil, I know how hard that is," Joe says, and Rami makes a quiet noise. "I know how much he means to you." He shifts a bit, moving down on the mattress. "Everything."

Rami looks at Joe, giving him a sad look. "Not _everything_ ," he says. "Not anymore."

"Not since you've met Mustardseed, right?" Joe asks, and Rami rolls his eyes, smiling despite himself.

"Yes," Rami says, "that's what I meant."

"I knew it," Joe says, and Rami just shakes his head. Rami sighs, and rolls onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. "Hey," Joe says, shifting next to him, leaning down to press a kiss to Rami's shoulder blade. "Are we just going to hide in here all day and hope they don't notice we're still here?"

Rami turns his head to look at Joe. "Can we?"

Joe shrugs. "That depends on how dumb you think our friends are."

"I know exactly how dumb they are," Rami says, and Joe smiles, reaching out, running his fingers up and down Rami's back. 

"So we're getting up then?" Joe asks, and Rami nods.

"They mentioned breakfast and the castle," he says. 

"That sounds okay," Joe says, "doesn't it?"

"There are castles in London," Rami mutters, and Joe smiles.

"Not this one," he says, and he carefully sets the kitten down before he climbs out of bed, reaching down to pick up his t-shirt. "Come on, babe," he says, looking back at Rami. "We gotta go be good friends." He looks at Rami, putting his hands on his hips, and then he starts tapping his foot. "We gotta get up!" Rami still doesn't say anything or move, and then Joe leans down, picking up the cat.

"Hey!" Rami protests, lifting his head up.

Mustardseed lets out a tiny squeak of a meow, and Joe smiles at her, nuzzling against her. "You gotta get up, babe," Joe says. "The cat's coming with me." He looks at Rami, and cocks his head a bit, until Rami finally groans and pushes himself up, climbing out of bed.

\+ + + + +

Their neighbour was right about the castle being only about a three minute walk from their flat, and after breakfast they head straight down their street to a path that leads to the castle grounds. Ben eagerly bounces up and down on his feet a couple times, trying to get a better look at the tower.

“Okay, please calm down,” Joe says, looking over at him. “I know you’re a history nerd and you’re about to come all over the place—” The other three all look at him with various looks of disgust, and Rami pushes at his arm. “But I have an image to uphold.”

Ben snorts, rolling his eyes. “What image would that be? Anyway. I looked up a bit about this last night.”

“And will you regale us with its tales?” Gwil asks, reaching out to grab onto Ben’s hand, swinging their arms back and forth.

“It was built in the late 13th century,” Ben says, “during the First Welsh War.”

“Gee, Gwil, how many Welsh Wars were there?” Joe asks.

Gwil just looks at Joe. “How many wars has America fought in?”

Rami laughs loudly, and Joe makes a bit of a face. “Alright, geesh, point taken.”

“At one point, it was captured by Owain, the last Welsh Prince of Wales,” Ben continues.

“Oh,” Gwil says dramatically, “Owain Glyndŵr. He’s a national hero! My brother was named after him.” Ben smiles at Gwil. “He’s like King Arthur, one day he’ll come back and liberate us all.”

“Gosh, that sounds dramatic,” Rami says.

“Then it was turned into a Royal Mint,” Ben says. “Until Cromwell demolished it during the 1640s.”

“Well, that sounds interesting to me,” Rami says. “I’m going to go for a walk! And take some photos for Nelly.” He smiles over at Ben and Gwil, heading over to one of the collapsed walls, followed by Joe.

“He was Owen Glendower in Shakespeare,” Ben says.

“In _English_ , you mean,” Gwil says, smirking at Ben.

“Oh, fine,” Ben says. “I’m so terribly sorry that my ancestors oppressed yours.”

“Good, thank you,” Gwil says, and he laughs at the look on Ben’s face. “Was there anywhere in particular you wanted to look?” he asks.

Ben shakes his head. “Not really, no,” he says. “I just wanted to see it. I’m sure I’ll come back for a better look, I just…wanted to see it today."

“Okay,” Gwil says. “I’m going to look at the gate.”

“Okay,” Ben says, and he watches as Gwil walks off. Ben nods slowly, walking around the grass— there aren’t that many people there at that time of day. He turns around in a bit of circle, looking out over the part of Aberystwyth that he can see, and he smiles faintly. It is sort of nice, he thinks. The water to one side, the large green hills to the other. It’s really not that bad. He thinks he could get used to it here. He looks out at it all for a few moments longer, before he hurries off to go look at the castle itself.

\+ + + + +

Gwil walks along, hands in his pockets, looking off absentmindedly at something in the distance, until he feels someone walk up alongside him. “Hello,” he says, looking over.

Rami smiles up at him. “I thought maybe you’d run off,” he says.

Gwil smiles back. “Me? No, I’m just taking in the view. I’m quite alright right here.”

“Are you?” Rami asks.

Gwil frowns a bit. “I…what, has Ben sent you over? Try to convince me to go back to London? If he has, could please tell him it’s a little late for that.”

“No, no,” Rami says, “nothing like that. I just…I know how Ben feels about the move. And I certainly know how Joe and I feel about it. I just want to make sure that you’re okay. I’m sure right now you’re concerned with Ben’s feelings…”

Gwil smiles faintly. “And what?” he asks. “You’re afraid that no one’s concerned with mine?”

“I’m afraid that maybe you’re…” Rami trails off. “I’m just checking in, Gwil.”

“I know,” Gwil says, “I know that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so dismissive. I _am_ alright, thank you.”

“What will you do tomorrow?” Rami asks.

“Tomorrow?” Gwil repeats. “Well, I’m afraid that if I don’t get up with him, Ben will spend the entire morning in bed, so I suppose I'll get up too. Probably walk with him, at least some of the way.”

“And then?” Rami asks.

“Oh, um,” Gwil thinks, and then shrugs. “Make a grocery list? Run to the shop, get a few more things, probably.”

“And then?”

Gwil blows out a breath. “Ring you?” he asks.

That makes Rami smile. “That’s not what I was getting at, but I’ll take it.”

“I know what you’re getting at,” Gwil says. “You want to make sure that this is enough for me.”

“You went to _space_ , Gwil,” Rami says. “I’m just saying, this…Aber might not be so interesting to you after a few days. You’re an adventurer! Like me.”

Gwil grins. “I wouldn’t say that,” he says. “At least not about myself.”

“No, you are,” Rami says, nodding.

“Well then,” Gwil says, “this is my next big adventure.” He spreads his arms, looking around. “Aberystwyth. Here I am.”

Rami smiles faintly. “Does it remind you of Cardiff?” he asks.

Gwil shrugs. “Hmm, a bit, but not really.”

“Does it remind you of Roger?” Rami asks. Gwil looks over at him. “He is the last person you lived with. Besides me, you know.”

“I know,” Gwil says, nodding. “And…I don’t know.”

“I was worried when Joe showed me Mustardseed,” Rami says, “that she looked too much like Tiger Lily.”

Gwil makes a quiet noise. “I suppose she does, doesn’t she? No, I— I don’t know.” He looks over at Rami. “I suppose it’s like my parents, I…haven’t thought of him in…I don’t think of him every day now.”

Rami smiles, taking Gwil’s hand. “That’s good,” he says softly. “Because I don’t want you to live here, in Wales, with Ben and your cat, if all it does is make you think of what it was like then. I want you to think of _now_. And moving forward.”

Gwil sighs. “This is you reminding me that I need to sign up for a course, isn’t it? _That’s_ what you were getting at.”

“I want you to be happy,” Rami says. “You’re my best mate, and we’ve been through _so_ much together, that the idea of you being alone, or sad, it kills me.”

“I’m not sad,” Gwil says. “I’m not. I’m— I’m unbelievably happy to be here with Ben. He— he got _in_ , he went for it, and he applied and he got accepted, and we’re here. And he loves me. I hurt him, and he still forgave me, and let me in, and now I’m…as happy as I’ve ever been. And I think he is too.” Rami stops walking, and Gwil does as well, looking over at him. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Rami says, shaking his head. “I just…I’m really happy for you. For both of you, but. For you.” He smiles at Gwil. “I think I’ve been nervous about you moving, for all sorts of reasons, but I guess I just needed to hear that you’ll be alright, you’ll really be alright.”

“I will be,” Gwil says, nodding. “I promise. I’ll miss you, every day. But…I don’t know.” He shrugs a bit. “I’m not sure how to say it. I’m going to miss you, of course I will. The idea of walking you to the train station and watch you go without me is…I don’t know. Sort of scary?” he says. “The sort of scary that used to…make me not want to leave my room. But now I know I’m just better equipped to handle it. Because of you, and everything you’ve done for me.”

“Not just me,” Rami says.

“No, no,” Gwil says, shaking his head, “not just you. Joe too, being hard on me when I needed it, and always telling me the truth. And being kind when I needed it too.” He glances back towards gate, where he can see Ben and Joe walking together, Joe gesturing wildly while Ben just nods. Gwil watches them both for a few moments, until Ben’s eyes catch on him, and he smiles, lifting his hand up to wave. Gwil waves back, and then Rami turns, and sees Joe waving wildly as well. Gwil laughs a bit, and looks over at Rami. “Should we head back?” he asks, and he turns, starting to walk back on the path.

“What about Ben?” Rami asks, falling alongside him.

“What about him?”

“Come on,” Rami says. “You know. It wasn’t just me and it certainly wasn’t just Joe. Ben’s made you a better person. Or— back to the person you were.”

“I know that,” Gwil says, looking ahead to where Ben and Joe have stopped, waiting for Rami and Gwil to come to them. “I just figured it was so obvious it wasn’t worth mentioning. Love!” he calls out, waving, and Ben grins, waving back again.

“So you’re really okay here?” Rami asks. “You’ll be alright when I leave?”

“I’ll be heartbroken when you leave,” Gwil says, “and I’ll miss you all the time. But yes, I’ll be alright.” He smiles at Rami. “What about you? Try not to miss me too much.”

Rami laughs. “I’m sure I will,” he says. “But I feel better knowing that you’re okay.”

“Good,” Gwil says, and they finishing crossing the distance between them and Ben and Joe. “Well, lads? What do you think?” he asks.

“You guys should have moved in here,” Joe says, looking around. “Love the view.”

Gwil takes a deep breath. “Smell that water!” he exclaims, and the others laugh. 

“I think we have to be heading back now,” Ben says, looking at Gwil. “They need to grab their things.”

“I’m good with staying,” Joe says. “I can call in sick tomorrow. They’ll never miss me.”

“And how long would you stay for?” Rami asks.

Joe shrugs. “Um, I don’t know. Whatever. Forever? I can work from home.”

“Come on, Joe,” Rami says, reaching out to take his hand, leading the way back towards the street. “They need a chance to get settled in. Ben’s got to get up early tomorrow.”

Ben makes a face and groans, and Gwil laughs, pulling him in.

“Don’t worry, love,” Gwil says, “I predict plenty of coffee in your future.”

\+ + + + +

“Do you have everything?” Gwil asks, and Joe nods.

“If we didn’t, you guys would send it to us, wouldn’t you?” he asks.

“Nope,” Ben says. “Anything left behind becomes our property, so you better make sure you’ve packed.”

“We have everything, thank you,” Rami says. “And actually, we have something else for you.” He looks at Joe, and Ben and Gwil both sigh a bit.

“We really don’t need anything else,” Gwil says. “There’s not a thing that we can’t buy for ourselves, please don’t go to all the trouble.”

“Well,” Joe says, unzipping his bag, reaching inside, “it just so happens that this is probably the one thing that you _can’t_ buy. So, from us, to you. I would say it’ll be the last gift we give you but we both know that’s a lie, so here you are.” He takes out a small wrapped package, and offers it to Gwil, then Ben, who shakes his head and points back at Gwil. “Here you go, big guy. For you.”

Gwil looks at Rami, who’s already smiling, and he carefully unwraps it, revealing a picture frame. He turns it over, and then tilts his head to the side, looking at the black-and-white image. “What’s this then?” he asks, looking up. He shows Ben the photo, and Ben’s face lights up, and he grins. “What? What is it?”

“It’s the _baby_ , Gwil,” Ben says, reaching out to take to the photo, looking at it closely. “Oh my god, look at it.”

“It is?” Gwil asks, and he leans over, looking at it again. “What— the baby. That’s a picture of the baby?”

Joe grins. “Rami told me that they didn’t have those when you were around. Figured you’d be surprised.”

Gwil shakes his head. “No, no, we— so, that’s its head. Right there?”

“Look at it,” Ben says. “Oh my god, that’s— that’s really your baby.” He looks up at Rami and Joe, still grinning. “That’s a baby.”

“It’s our baby,” Joe says, and he wraps his arm around Rami’s shoulders, bringing him in. “That’s Poppy’s twelve-week ultrasound. Well, a copy of it, anyway. And it’s our gift to you. Your first picture of Baby Malek-Mazzello.”

Ben grins, wiping at his face, then he hands the photo back to Gwil, reaching out to pull Rami into a hug, and then Joe. “Thank you,” he says. “This is the best gift ever.”

“That’s a leg, then,” Gwil says softly, running his fingertip over the picture, and then he looks up. “That’s a baby.”

Rami nods. “It’s our baby.”

Gwil just shakes his head, and pushes his glasses up a bit, wiping at his face. “That’s…my niece or nephew. That’s. Huh. I. Wow.”

Rami grins, and then hugs Gwil, squeezing him tightly. “It’s an okay gift then?” he asks, and Gwil laughs, shaking his head again.

“It’s the best gift,” Gwil says. “I— I’ll treasure it forever and always, thank you.” He clutches the photo frame to his chest, smiling. “I— I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say,” Rami says, “it’s your family, and Joe and I wanted to share it with you.”

Gwil grins, and tears spill over his cheeks. “Well, love?” he asks. “Where should we keep this then?”

“Wherever we can see it the most,” Ben says, looking around. He takes the frame from Gwil and walks over, setting it down on the small table by the sofa, next to the lamp Joe and Rami gave them, and then he smiles, looking back at them. “How’s that?” he asks.

“A baby,” Gwil says softly, wiping at his face again, and Rami reaches out, taking Gwil’s hand, gently squeezing it. “You’re really going to be parents, aren’t you?”

“We are,” Joe says. “Pretty crazy, huh? Which one of us do you think it looks more like?”

Ben rolls his eyes. “I think it’s a little too early to tell,” he says.

Joe shakes his head. “Nope, it’s the cutest baby ever, and it looks exactly like my fiancé.”

“Oh gosh,” Rami says softly, and Gwil grins at him.

“Hear that?” Gwil asks.

“I did,” Rami says, “but I’d be much happier if they looked like _both_ of us.” He sighs, shaking his head, looking at Joe. “You’re too sweet,” he says, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. He smiles at Ben and Gwil, and then lets out a breath, nodding. “Is that it then?” he asks.

Gwil frowns a bit. “What do you mean?”

“Are we off?” Rami asks, looking at Joe.

“Not without us, you’re not,” Ben says. “You thought we wouldn’t walk you to the train station?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Rami says. “We’ve been here so— you two need to get settled in. Without us.”

“I think if we just let you leave that’d be pretty awful of us,” Gwil says.

“If you’re sure,” Rami says.

Ben smiles. “We get up at four o’clock in the bloody morning to take you to the airport, but no, this five minute walk, it’s too far.” He looks at them both. “Do you have everything?” he asks, and he can hear in his voice that he’s about to start crying, so he clears his throat and looks away.

“I think so,” Rami says softly, and Joe nods. 

“Shall we then?” Gwil asks, glancing back towards the door.

“Oh, just one moment,” Rami says, and he glances around, seeing the kitten on the floor by the sofa, and he walks over to her, kneeling down.

Joe smiles at Ben and Gwil, and then walks over as well, crouching down.

“Hi Mustardseed,” Rami says softly, reaching out to gently pet her. “We’re going to go now, alright?”

Joe smiles. “It was nice to meet you, Mussy. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

“We’ll be back,” Rami says, giving her a quick kiss. “I promise.”

“Or you can come to London!” Joe says. “Meet our kid.”

“Be kind to them,” Rami says softly. “And take care of them for me.”

“That’s a lot of expectations to put on a cat,” Joe says.

“She can handle it,” Rami says, and he smiles up at him as he stands. “Okay. Bye, Mussy.”

Ben looks at Gwil. “I’m not sure how I feel about Mussy,” he says.

Gwil shrugs. “I think we can let it go,” he says.

Joe and Rami walk back over to them, and pick up their bags. “Okay,” Rami says, looking around. “You’ll send us more photos of the flat, when everything’s delivered?”

“We will,” Gwil says. “But I also don’t know why you’re acting as though we won’t be talking later today.”

“I know,” Rami says. “Alright. I’m ready if you are.”

“Okay,” Joe says, and he smiles at Ben, who turns towards the door, patting his pocket for his keys and his mobile, and they head out into the hallway, Gwil pulling the door closed behind him. They head down the stairs, Rami and Joe’s suitcases hitting a couple steps, and just as Ben’s about to step outside, the door to the first floor flat opens, and Ben smiles.

“Hello,” the man says, and he glances up the stairs, seeing the other three. “Oh, sorry to interrupt.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Ben says.

“I just heard the commotion,” he says, looking at Rami and Joe’s suitcases, “and I couldn’t imagine that you were moving out again so soon!”

Ben smiles and shakes his head. “No, they’re just going back to London; we’re staying.”

“Hi,” Joe says, waving at the man as he walks by Ben, stepping outside.

“Sorry about the noise,” Rami says, smiling and nodding as he follows Joe outside.

“So you’re the other neighbour then,” the man says, looking at Gwil.

“I am, yes,” Gwil says, reaching out to shake the man’s hand. “Gwil, pleasure to meet you.”

“Brian,” he says, smiling back. “Welcome to Aber.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says, glancing at Ben. 

“We should go,” Ben says, “they have to catch their train.”

“Yes, of course,” Brian says. “Forgive me, I was just being nosy.”

“It’s alright,” Ben says. “Oh, we went to the castle today. It was lovely.”

“I’m glad,” Brian says. “Well, perhaps we’ll have a chat some other time? But go, see your friends off.”

“We will,” Ben says, nodding. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Gwil says, nodding. “Have a good day, Brian.”

“You as well,” Brian says, and steps back into his flat, closing the door.

“The mysterious neighbour,” Joe says, looking at Ben.

“I don’t think he’s mysterious,” Ben says. “You say it like we’re living above a ghost.”

Rami playfully gasps, clutching at his chest, and Gwil laughs.

“Be careful, Gwil,” Joe says as they start to walk in the direction of the train station.

“Why?” Gwil asks, confused.

“Ben has a type,” Joe says.

Ben looks at Joe. “Uh, I certainly do not,” he says. “Gwil looks nothing like—” He stops talking.

“Oh, I don’t mean him,” Joe says. “I mean your neighbour.”

Ben rolls his eyes. “Right.”

“He _is_ tall,” Rami says, nodding.

“Oh, stop it,” Ben says.

“You know, I noticed that too,” Gwil says, and he laughs when he sees the look on Ben’s face.

“Considering one of us actually _does_ have a type,” Ben says, pointing at Gwil, “I’d watch it.”

“Hey, if you guys break up, one of you can move in with us,” Joe says. “Ooh, but which one, how will we decide?”

“Ugh, Gwil,” Ben says, playfully shrugging off Gwil’s attempt to pull him in, “you can have him.”

Rami laughs, and they walk the rest of the short distance to the train station, Joe occasionally looking back at Ben to tease him as they go.

Gwil glances at his watch as he opens the door for them, walking into the train station. It’s a nice building, but small for a station, and they don’t have to look to find out their platform number, there’s really only one place for them to go. An uneasy feeling settles all over them, mostly like homesickness, but also like everything else that hurts— loneliness, and sadness, and anger, and jealousy, and none of them really know what to say to each other.

Finally Ben speaks up, gently clearing his throat. “Should we go to the platform then?” he asks, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

“Sure,” Joe says, nodding. They walk through the building to the platform, where the train is already waiting, and a few people are getting on, while others are doing the same as them, and saying their goodbyes. The four of them stand together, looking at each other, still unsure of what to say.

Ben’s eyes fill with tears as he looks at Joe and Rami, his hand starting to tremble a bit in Gwil’s, and then he takes a deep breath, sniffling as he looks away, wiping at his eyes. “Ugh,” he groans, “I don’t really—” He groans in surprise when Rami steps forward, wrapping his arms around him, and then he lets go of Gwil’s hand to do the same, pulling Rami in tightly. “Thank you,” he says softly.

Rami nods, and just squeezes Ben, not wanting to let go. 

Joe looks at Gwil, wiping at his face, and then he clears his throat. “Well, uh, you know.” He steps a couple awkward steps, and then pulls Gwil into a hug, squeezing him close.

“I do, yeah,” Gwil nods. 

Joe sniffles and pulls back, looking up at Gwil. “I’m really happy for you,” he says, voice breaking a bit. “I…I don’t want to say it, because if I say it I’ll cry—”

“I think it’s too late for that,” Gwil says, and Joe laughs a bit, wiping at his face.

“Yeah, I think so too,” Joe says, watching Rami and Ben pull back from each other, and he sighs. “I just, you know, I— I know we don’t talk about it a lot but I still remember realizing you guys were like, in love. And I’m talking…before you two were acknowledging that.”

Rami wipes at his face, looking away, trying to hide his smile.

“And now you’re living together,” Joe says, “and I just…I’m really happy for you both.”

Rami nods. “We both are. Really. It’s lovely.”

Ben nods, sniffling and wiping at his face. “Even though it’s in the middle of nowhere?”

Rami smiles. “Even though. I’m so proud of you. And you,” he says, looking at Gwil. He steps forward, and hugs Gwil, and Joe walks by Rami, pulling Ben in.

“You’re the strongest person I know,” Joe says in Ben’s ear, and Ben closes his eyes, shoulders shaking a bit as he tries to stifle his cries.

“You can ring me anytime,” Rami says to Gwil, and Gwil nods. “Don’t worry about the time.”

“We’re in the same timezone,” Gwil says.

“You know what I mean,” Rami says. “Yeah, no, it’s— no, it’s alright. Gosh. It’s…what, two hundred miles? I— we’ve been further than that.”

“We have,” Gwil says.

“And we can come back here, and you can come to London, or we can meet in Brum,” Rami says.

Gwil nods. “Yes, of course. Any time.”

“And we’ll see you soon,” Rami continues.

Gwil smiles, and pulls him in for another hug. “It’s alright,” he says, “I’m going to miss you too.”

“Yeah,” Rami says. He nods, wiping at his face, stepping back. “This isn’t— well, we’ve both said goodbye before. This should be easier.”

“I know,” Gwil says, voice barely audible as tears run down his cheeks.

Rami blows out a breath, and looks at Joe. “If we stay here, we’ll miss our train and then we’ll just be waiting for an hour, crying, until the next one comes.”

“Probably,” Ben says. He looks at the train, and then looks at Rami and Joe. “I…don’t want to say goodbye, because it’s not…that, you know. It’s just— god, we live two hours away from each other. For a year. That’s— that’s nothing, right? It’s not goodbye.”

“It’s not goodbye,” Joe says, nodding. “It’s just, see you later! You know. Like…every day I got up and went to work and you guys got to hang out without me. Just, okay, catch you in a bit.”

“Yeah,” Ben says. “That’s all. And it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll— be okay.”

“You’ll be great,” Rami says.

“Knock ‘em dead tomorrow,” Joe says. “Remember, we are your best friends, and everyone else can fuck off.”

Ben laughs, nodding, wiping at his face. “I will remember that.”

“Good,” Joe says. “Because I don’t need to come back here and have you try to introduce me to your new friends or whatever.”

“I won’t ever do that to you,” Ben says.

“Okay.” Joe leans in and gives Ben another quick hug, patting him on the back a couple times, and then he steps back and pulls Gwil another hug. “Yeah, no, this is fine. I’m an adult. I’m 37 now. No reason to cry in public.”

“I love you,” Rami says, hugging Ben again.

“I love you too,” Ben says.

Rami smiles at Gwil, and hugs him again. “And I love you.”

Gwil nods. “I love you too.”

Rami steps back, and looks at Joe, then glances back at the train. “So, I know you’ll be tired tomorrow, but I’d love to hear about your first welcome day.”

“Yeah, of course,” Ben nods, blinking quickly, tears falling. “I won’t be _that_ tired.”

“Okay,” Rami says. “Okay, we should go.”

“Okay,” Joe says, and he leans in, pressing his lips to Rami’s temple. “Okay, we’re leaving. That’s it. We’re going.”

“Bye,” Ben says softly, waving at them, before he puts his hand to his mouth, trying to quiet his cries.

“Goodbye,” Gwil says, taking Ben’s hand. “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course,” Rami says, and for a moment he looks like he’s about to move in for another hug, but he just takes a step backward. “Alright. We’ll let you know when we’re home safe.”

“Yes, please do,” Gwil says.

“Okay,” Rami says. “Are you ready?” he asks, looking at Joe.

“No,” Joe says, “but I also know we have to leave soon.” He sighs. “Okay. I love you both, you are both great people, and this is a really good thing for you. That’s it, I’m done.” He turns and walks away, heading towards the train.

“Oh,” Rami says softly. “I…”

“It’s okay,” Ben says. “You can go on. He’ll— it’s alright.”

“Okay,” Rami says. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Gwil says. “Be safe.”

Rami nods, and he starts walking towards the train, glancing back at Ben and Gwil every couple steps, and he keeps waving as he goes. He glances back again as he steps onto the train, and then waves another time, and Ben and Gwil both smile, waving back, even as they cry. Rami glances around, and sees where Joe is already sitting, face in his hands, shoulders shaking as he cries. Rami puts his bag on the luggage rack and then walks over to him, sitting down next to him, reaching out to take Joe’s hands away from his face.

“I never thought I’d say goodbye to them,” Joe says, and Rami nods.

“I know,” he says softly, sniffling, more tears falling.

“How do normal people do this?” Joe asks. 

“What do you mean?” Rami asks. “Aren’t we normal?”

Joe shrugs, and slumps back against his seat, rubbing at his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asks, looking over at him.

“I’m heartbroken,” Rami says. “And I miss them already.” He takes a breath and swallows hard, sniffling loudly. “We’ll be okay, right?”

Joe nods, and he sits up a bit, leaning in to give Rami a kiss. “We still have each other, right?” he asks, and Rami laughs a bit, nodding.

“I didn’t think you were marrying me for Gwil,” he says.

“Oh,” Joe says. “I kind of was.”

“Oh,” Rami says. “Well, that’s fair. I was marrying you for Ben.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Joe says, and he smiles, reaching out to wipe at Rami’s cheeks. “They’re okay.”

“Yeah,” Rami nods.

“And we’re okay?”

Rami sighs, and thinks for a moment. “I…we have to be, I think. I don’t…” He nods a bit. “No, we’re okay. We’ll see them soon.” He settles back in his seat, turning so that he can look at Joe. “It’s just two hours.”

“Is that our motto for the next year?” Joe asks.

Rami nods. “I…it’s the longest— Gwil and I—” His voice breaks a bit, and he closes his eyes, tears running down his cheeks.

“I know,” Joe says softly, leaning in so that he rest against Rami’s side, snuggling against him. “I know, babe, it’s okay.” He takes Rami’s hand, squeezing it, letting Rami cry against him.

\+ + + + +

As the train pulls out of the station, Ben blows out a shaky breath, and looks over at Gwil, trying to smile but just breaking down a bit more, reaching up to wipe at his face. “Sorry,” he says, sniffling. “I just—”

“I know, love,” Gwil says, and he pulls Ben in, holding him close, letting Ben cry into his shirt, gently rubbing his back, trying to soothe him. “It’s alright,” he says softly, “I’m here.”

Ben nods, and he sniffles loudly. “I know,” he says. “I’m—” He makes a quiet noise, a bit of a pathetic whimper, and then he pulls back. “I’m sorry. I— it’s not as if your best mate wasn’t on that train too, I— I shouldn’t be so selfish.”

Gwil smiles faintly. “You’re not,” he says. “It’s alright.” He reaches out, taking Ben’s hand. “Come on,” he says, “let’s get you back to the flat.”

Ben sniffles again, looking around the train station. “Can we…” He shakes his head a bit. “Can we go for a walk?” he asks. “By the water? I just…need a minute.”

Gwil smiles and nods. “Yes, love, of course,” he says. “That sounds lovely.” He looks around, and then leads Ben out of the train station, glancing left and right, and then heading left. “Fish and chips,” he says softly, squeezing Ben’s hand and nodding towards the restaurant the four of them went to on their first visit to Aber.

Ben smiles a bit, nodding. “It’s alright, isn’t it, that we’ve— that the cat is alone, isn’t it? She can be alone?”

“Yes, of course,” Gwil says, “she’ll be alright for a couple hours. I’m sure she’s just napping the day away.”

Ben nods. “Okay, good.” He wipes at his face, and then shakes his head a bit. “Ugh, I’m sorry. I— terribly emotional.”

“I don’t mind, love,” Gwil says. “It’s alright.”

“Are you okay?” Ben asks, looking over at him. “I’m really sorry that I can’t— I’m not being as supportive as I could, I— I know it’s hard for you too, you’re leaving your home too. Are you really okay? With all this?”

“I am,” Gwil says, nodding. “Of course I miss them. I— god, I— you know how much Rami means to me. It’s hard. I’m not going to lie.” He gives Ben a bit of a sad smile. “But this is okay, love, I promise. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be, and I am happy to be here.” He squeezes Ben’s hand. “It will take some getting used to, I don’t doubt that. New city. New flat. New cat.” He smiles at Ben. “But I— I don’t know. It feels okay. I feel okay.”

“You’re sure?” Ben asks. “You wouldn’t— you’re not lying? Because I— you can go.”

“Go?” Gwil asks. “You’re kicking me out of our flat after three nights? God, that’s a record, isn’t it.”

“No,” Ben says, shaking his head, “of course not. I just— I’m the one who _has_ to be here. If you miss London too much, or Rami and Joe, I— I’ll understand. I want you to do what’s best for _you_ , not what’s best for me.”

“And what about what’s best for us?” Gwil asks. “Also, why can’t this be good for me too? I— I think I’m doing quite well.”

“You are,” Ben says softly, and he smiles at Gwil. “I…” He sighs a bit, looking around at the part of town they’re in. “Do you know where we’re going?” he asks.

“That way,” Gwil says, pointing forward.

“Alright then,” Ben says. “As long as you know.”

“I won’t let us get lost,” Gwil says. “I’m not sure this town is big enough for that.”

“Everything sort of looks the same, though,” Ben says.

“Mm,” Gwil nods, looking around. They walk the rest of the short distance to the beach, and Ben walks over to the white fencing along the promenade, looking out at the water. 

“I do like this bit,” Ben says, leaning against the fence, and Gwil smiles at him. 

“It is lovely, isn’t it.”

Ben nods. “Yeah, it’s…I liked the water in Bournemouth too. It’s nice to just be around.”

“We can go for runs along here,” Gwil says, gesturing up and down the stone path, and Ben sighs.

“I suppose,” he mutters, and then he laughs when Gwil pulls him in. “Fine, fine. We can go for runs here. I don’t know when, though. I’ll be so busy.”

“You will,” Gwil nods. “How does that feel?”

Ben shrugs. “Contrary to what you probably believe, considering I quit my job almost two years ago, I actually do like working.”

Gwil laughs softly. “I never doubted that, love.”

“Yeah, so, I don’t know,” Ben says, pushing himself up a bit on the fence, looking around. “I’m nervous. Meeting new people, getting settled in. But I think once I start writing and get into the library, I’ll be alright.” He looks over at Gwil. “I’m sort of excited.”

“Yeah?” Gwil asks, smiling, and Ben nods.

“Yeah,” Ben says. “In a year, I’ll— I could be working. At a job I like, that I _really_ like.”

“I certainly hope so,” Gwil says.

Ben smiles. “I like that. I’m…looking forward to it. It’s been a long time since I looked forward to work.”

“Good,” Gwil says softly, and he leans in, giving Ben a kiss. “I like seeing you smile.”

That just makes Ben’s smile grow even bigger, and then they kiss again, and again, until Ben’s mobile starts to ring and they jump apart. He reaches into his pocket, taking it out, and then he laughs, answering the FaceTime call. “It’s been what, twenty minutes?” he asks. “How far’d you make it?”

“You’re the one who was sobbing when we left, Benny, so don’t be so judgemental.”

Ben scoffs. “I’m fine,” he says, “don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Right,” Joe says sarcastically, nodding. “Where’s Gwil?”

“Hello,” Gwil says, shifting closer to Ben, waving at the screen. “How’s the train?”

“It’s alright,” Rami says, snuggling closer to Joe. “A bit lonely.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Gwil says.

“Where are you two?” Rami asks.

“The beach,” Ben says, and he pans his camera around for a moment, showing them the water. “Just needed a few minutes to ourselves.”

“You good?” Joe asks, and Ben nods.

“Yeah, I think so,” he says, looking at Gwil. “Will be, anyway. I think.”

Gwil nods as well. “What about you two?” he asks.

“Well, Rami won’t stop crying,” Joe says, and Rami just lightly hits Joe’s arm.

“ _Joe_ ,” he says, “you said you wouldn’t say!”

“No, I didn’t,” Joe says, looking at him. “I definitely did not.”

“Are you okay?” Gwil asks, and Rami sighs.

“I’m fine,” he says. “Or, I will be. I don’t know. I’m looking forward to seeing Augie. After that…I’ll sleep in tomorrow and see how it goes from there.” He shifts in his seat. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asks.

“Back to the flat,” Gwil says.

“I have a bit of reading I want to do,” Ben says.

“Supper, shower, just…get settled in, I suppose.” Gwil smiles at Ben. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, I know,” Joe says, winking at the camera, and Ben sighs. 

“Yes, well, it’s been lovely chatting,” Ben says. “Talk soon?”

“Wait!” Joe says quickly. “I’m sorry. Please. Benny? Don’t hang up yet.”

Rami and Gwil smile, and and Ben sighs a bit. “Fine,” he says.

“I wanted to tell you,” Joe says, “I left you something in your bedroom.”

“Another gift?” Ben asks.

“Yeah,” Joe says, “but this one’s just for you— sorry, big guy. But I gotta look out for my best man.”

“I don’t need anything else, Joe,” Ben says, “ _please_ stop.”

“That’s why I left it!” Joe says. “So you have no choice but to keep it. You’re not just going to throw it out, are you?”

“I might,” Ben says.

“Well, please don’t.”

“I’ll see what it is first.”

“Will you give Mustard my love?” Rami asks, and Gwil grins.

“Of course,” he says. “I’m sure she misses you already.”

“I hope so,” Rami says softly. “I miss her too. Will you take lots of pictures?”

Gwil laughs. “Yes, if you’d like.”

“Very much so,” Rami says, nodding. “Any time she does anything interesting, or funny, or any time she looks really pretty.”

Gwil laughs again. “Should I just install a camera? For you to watch her, 24/7?”

Rami shrugs. “Certainly if you’d like, I wouldn’t mind.”

Gwil looks at Ben, who just smiles, shaking his head. “I don’t know if Ben would like that idea, Rami.”

“I don’t trust Joe,” Ben says, and Gwil laughs.

“No, neither do I,” he says.

“We don’t want to keep you,” Joe says. “We just wanted to say hi. See? It’s like we’re right there with you.”

“Yeah,” Ben nods. “It’s sweet.”

“Ben and I were just talking about how we’re going to start running here,” Gwil says. “Along the water.”

“Ew, gross,” Joe says. “Why?”

“Because we’re going to filling up on _The Pleasure_ for breakfast, lunch, and supper, mate,” Ben says, and Joe frowns, whimpering a bit.

“That’s not fair,” he says softly, and Ben laughs.

“Well, you live in London, actual civilization,” he says, “so I’m sure there’s plenty of pizza for you there.”

“Not that kind though,” Joe says.

“You wanna go back?” Gwil asks softly, and Ben nods, the two of them starting the walk back.

“Now what’s happening?” Joe asks.

Ben laughs. “We’re just going back to the flat.”

“Oh,” Joe says. “I guess we don’t need to stay on the phone for that.”

“That’s good,” Ben says, “because my arm is getting tired.”

“Okay,” Joe says.

Rami leans in a bit closer to the camera and smiles, waving. “Have a good day,” he says. “We’ll still let you know when we’re home.”

“Good,” Ben says, “we’ll be waiting.”

“Have a nice night tonight, though,” Rami says. “Make sure you go to bed early.”

Ben grins. “Okay,” he says, “I will. Promise.”

“Okay. Bye!” Rami says, waving.

Ben, Joe, and Gwil all say goodbye at the same time, their voices overlapping, and then the call ends, and Ben sighs a bit, putting his mobile back in his pocket.

“Alright?” Gwil asks, and Ben just nods.

\+ + + + +

Ben heads up the stairs, and ducks his head into the second bedroom, not seeing anything. He walks into his and Gwil’s room, and glances around before his eyes catch on something on the bed. He walks over, and sits down on the edge of the mattress as he picks it up, smiling. He flips through the journal, and then opens the front cover, seeing where Joe’s written _September 2041—_

“What’s that?” Gwil asks, walking into the bedroom.

“Joe’s gift,” Ben says. “Did you give her her treats?”

“I did,” Gwil says, “she seemed happy to see us.”

“Good, that’s sweet,” Ben says. He smiles at him, and hands the journal over to Gwil, who flips through it as well.

“Nice of Joe,” Gwil says, and Ben nods, watching as Gwil pushes himself up a bit and reaches over, setting the journal down on their nightstand.

“What?” Ben asks, watching Gwil settle back down next to him.

“Nothing,” Gwil says softly, and then he leans in, giving Ben a kiss.

Ben makes a quiet noise, and relaxes into it, reaching up to press his hand to Gwil’s cheek, holding him close as he pulls back. “What was that for?” he asks softly.

“Can’t I just kiss you?” Gwil asks, and he leans in to kiss him again.

Ben moans softly, and shifts on the bed, moving closer to Gwil. He pulls back a bit to laugh in surprise when he feels Gwil’s hand slip under his ass, helping lift Ben up onto his lap, and then he moves in, kissing him again. “You were just waiting for them to leave,” Ben says softly, and Gwil smiles. “To take advantage of me.”

“Oh, I hardly think I’m taking advantage,” Gwil murmurs. “But if that’s what you think—” He moves to pull away from Ben, but Ben pulls Gwil back in, a noise of protest before he kisses him again.

“It has been a few days,” Ben says, moving his mouth down, scratching his lips against Gwil’s beard, leaning down to kiss Gwil’s neck.

“Just a few,” Gwil says softly. “I’ve missed you.” He moves his hands over Ben, pushing up the hem of shirt, slipping his fingers beneath, pressing against Ben’s skin.

Ben gives him a small smile. “I haven’t gone anywhere,” he says, and he kisses him, gently biting at Gwil’s lip, tugging at it, wrapping his arms around Gwil’s shoulders.

“Haven’t gone anywhere?” Gwil asks. “Up and moved to Wales, haven’t you?”

Ben smiles. “I think you’ll find we’ve moved here together.”

“Have we?” Gwil asks, and Ben nods, shifting on Gwil’s lap so that he can reach down between them and start pulling off his shirt.

Gwil licks his lips automatically as he watches Ben tug his shirt over his head, watching as Ben drops it to the floor. Gwil leans in, pressing a kiss to Ben’s chest, and then another one, looking up at him.

“I love you,” Ben says softly, and Gwil smiles, straightening up to give him a kiss.

“I love you too,” he says softly. Gwil shifts on the mattress, looking around. “It’s a big bed,” he says.

“Hmm,” Ben nods, “it is.”

“What shall we do with it?” Gwil asks, and Ben smiles.

“What would you like me to do with it?” Ben asks.

Gwil kisses Ben again. “Would you…” He gently clears his throat. 

Ben smiles again. “Shy all of a sudden?” he asks. “You can ask, you know. I don’t mind it.”

“I know,” Gwil says. He presses a kiss to Ben’s shoulder, then lifts his head to Ben’s ear. “I’ve missed you being inside me.”

Ben turns to kiss Gwil, smiling against him. “I like the sounds of that.” He moves off Gwil’s lap, standing up to start unbuttoning his jeans. He smiles at the way Gwil’s watching him, and pauses. “I don’t know how well you plan on getting fucked if you sit there with your clothes on.”

“We could make a game of it and see,” Gwil says, smiling, but he stands up as well, pulling off his shirt. 

Ben kicks away his jeans, pushing down his boxer-briefs, and reaching down to take off his socks, pushing it all to the side. He walks over to the nightstand, tugging open the drawer. “Did we not bring the lube?” he asks, glancing back at Gwil.

“Oh,” Gwil says. He walks over and glances in the nightstand. “I…know I packed mine,” he says, thinking. “Uh…everything from my nightstand would be together.” He looks around, and then walks over to his suitcase, crouching down to tug at the zippers. He sighs a bit, reaching in to root around, and he pulls out a couple condoms and a small bottle of lube.

“Good to know Rami and Joe didn’t unpack that for us,” Ben says, settling at the head of the bed, reaching back to adjust the pillows against the headboard.

Gwil smiles, standing up. “I’m sure if they had, they’d’ve rubbed our faces in it.” He walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge, taking a condom and setting it on the bed with the lube, before he pushes himself up, settling on Ben’s lap. “Hello,” he murmurs softly, smiling as he draws Ben in for another kiss, shifting as Ben’s hands settle on him.

Ben sits up a bit straighter, moaning softly. One of his hands presses and curls around Gwil’s hip, and the other one reaches to grab the lube, awkwardly popping the cap open. 

Gwil pulls back, looking with amusement. “Moving a bit quickly, aren’t we?” he asks.

“You’re the one who said how much you miss my cock,” Ben says, and he smirks, kissing Gwil. “I’m just trying to make you happy.”

Gwil chuckles softly, nodding. “Fair enough,” he says, kissing him. He ducks his head down, nuzzling against Ben’s neck, kissing him gently, pushing himself up a bit when he feels Ben’s fingers start to press against him. Gwil lets out a quiet noise, and shifts, pressing his hips back against Ben, groaning softly.

“Okay?” Ben asks, and Gwil nods.

“Yes,” he says softly, kissing him, fingers curling and digging into Ben as Ben curls his fingers inside him. “God,” he says softly, head tilting back a bit. 

Ben smiles against Gwil, gently sucking at his skin as he thrusts his fingers in over and over, slow at first, then speeding up, then going slow again, Gwil moaning against him, rocking back and forth against Ben. “Should we dig the massager out?” Ben asks, biting down on his lip, reaching down to squeeze his cock to relieve some of the pressure. “God only knows where Rami and Joe have unpacked that.”

Gwil smiles, licking at Ben’s mouth, before tilting his head to kiss him deeply. “No, love,” he says, “just you today.”

Ben nods, and shifts under Gwil, reaching out to grab the lube again. He pours more on his fingers, and pressing them into Gwil. “Is this okay?” he asks.

Gwil groans, reaching one hand out to the headboard to brace himself, rocking back and forth on Ben’s hand. “I think it’s more than okay,” he says, and Ben smiles.

“I meant you on top like this,” Ben says, and Gwil nods, kissing him.

“I know, love,” he says, “and it’s perfect.” He reaches over to the grab the condom, just about to tear into it before he pauses and looks at Ben. “Unless…” he says, giving him a questioning look.

Ben smiles, shaking his head a bit. “I’d rather not get come _all_ over a new bed right away,” he says. “Maybe give it a week or two.”

“All over the bed?” Gwil asks, trying not to laugh. “Goodness, how much do you think you come?” 

Ben smiles, and reaches out. “Just give it to me,” he says, carefully tearing the packet open, taking out the condom. Gwil takes the packet from him, setting it on the nightstand, and then he looks down to watch Ben roll the condom down, stroking himself a couple more times before taking himself in hand.

Gwil pushes himself up a bit, and groans softly as Ben slides the head of his cock against him a few times, briefly pushing in and then slipping back out. “Tease,” he says, and Ben smiles.

“Like you never,” Ben says, and Gwil smiles, kissing him, teeth dragging against Ben’s lip as Ben finally pushes into him. “Jesus,” Ben grits out, head thumping back against the headboard as he takes a moment before he lifts it back up and kisses Gwil again.

Gwil moans against Ben, sinking down further on him, then pushing himself up a bit, before he settles down the rest of the way, taking all of Ben inside him. “God, love,” he says, pulling back to take in the look on Ben’s face. “God you’re beautiful,” he says, and Ben smiles, blushing a bit.

“You should see yourself,” Ben says, and he gasps as Gwil lifts himself up, and then sinks back down. He grunts, clutching at Gwil, and he buries his face against Gwil’s neck, panting heavily as he Gwil starts bouncing up and down on his cock. “God,” Ben whines, kissing Gwil’s skin, licking at him, taking in the faint taste of sweat there. “Gwil,” he says, and he cries out loudly when Gwil clenches around him. “Tease,” he says, looking up at him, and Gwil grins, kissing him.

“Payback,” Gwil says, and he settles his hand on the back of Ben’s neck, shifting his weight. “Oh, fuck,” he says, fingers briefly digging into Ben. “Yes, there.”

Ben nods and grips at Gwil, thrusting up into him over and over until Gwil cries out loudly, and then Ben moves one hand to take Gwil in his grasp, but Gwil just shakes his head.

“Not yet,” Gwil pants, and Ben nods, dropping his hand back down, holding onto Gwil’s hip, guiding him up and down. “Yes,” Gwil says, “god yes, Ben. S’so good,” he murmurs, and he gasps a bit as he leans back, and then he whines a bit more, shifting his weight even further, reaching back with one hand, gripping at Ben’s leg as he grinds against his cock. “There,” he breathes, fingers clenching against Ben. “Yes, there, right there,” he pants, bouncing up and down.

Ben keeps one hand braced on Gwil’s hip, and runs the other one over Gwil, watching him shiver, precum leaking steadily from Gwil’s cock. Ben reaches out, taking Gwil in hand, stroking him a couple times, but Gwil just shakes his head.

“No, no,” he pants, “just like this.”

“You’re sure?” Ben asks, and he pulls back, reaching his hand up to his mouth, licking the taste of Gwil off his palm.

“Yes,” Gwil says, “I— it’s— yes, I can—” He groans, and clenches around Ben again, making Ben whine and whimper. “God, Ben, that’s— oh, there.” Gwil starts moving even faster, bouncing up and down quickly.

“Gwil, god,” Ben groans, biting down against the sounds threatening to escape. “Yes, god, so— feels so good, you’re—” Ben whimpers a bit. “ _Tight_ ,” he grits down, and he gasps loudly as Gwil clenches again, and again. Ben squeezes his eyes shut, making tiny noises, over and over.

Gwil straightens up, and he cups Ben’s face in his hands, kissing him deeply. He wraps one arm around his shoulders, holding him close as they continue to kiss, their tongues moving against each other, groaning into each other’s mouths, until Gwil pulls back, eyes closed, breathing heavily. “Ben, I’m— Ben, I’m coming, I’m gonna come, I— I can—”

Ben wets his lips and rests his forehead against Gwil, looking down to watch as Gwil’s cock jerks and he comes, untouched, shooting over Gwil’s stomach and some of it landing on Ben’s chest. Ben reaches out, running his fingertips over the head of Gwil’s cock, more come oozing out over his fingers, and he reaches his hand up, sucking his fingers into his mouth, kissing Gwil after.

“Come on, love,” Gwil murmurs, and Ben nods, kissing Gwil again, thrusting up into him again and again until Ben’s toes curl and his fingers dig into Gwil and he comes, loud except for the noises covered up by Gwil’s mouth. 

“I love you,” Gwil whispers, kissing Ben gently, “I love you so much, I love you.”

“Yes,” Ben nods, whimpering softly as his head falls back against the headboard, hips still moving up into Gwil.

Gwil hunches over Ben, curled against him, breathing heavily in Ben’s ear as they come down, both of them pressing kisses over the parts of the other their mouths can reach without much moving.

Ben groans softly, running his hands up and down over Gwil’s back, snuggling back against the pillows. “That was…” He makes a quiet noise, smiling at Gwil.

“It was,” Gwil says. He kisses Ben again, and then braces himself against him, lifting himself off Ben’s cock. He looks back at the bed, and then snuggles against Ben. “Nice bed,” he says, and Ben tries not to smile.

“I love you,” Ben says, reaching up to push Gwil’s hair back from his forehead. 

“Yes,” Gwil nods. “I love you too.” He makes a quiet noise, and then sits up, stretching. “Do you want to shower?” he asks.

“Soon,” Ben says, nodding. “Just a moment.”

“You know,” Gwil says, smiling at Ben. “Cleaning up would be a lot neater if we had a sink nearby.” Ben just looks at him. “Just right over there,” he says, pointing to the wall.

Ben just rolls his eyes, and pushes Gwil off his lap.

\+ + + + +

Gwil walks into the bedroom, tightening the towel around his waist. “Love?” he asks, voice unsure.

“Hmm,” Ben murmurs from where he’s laying on the floor, on his stomach, head cushioned by one of his arms, Mustardseed curled up beside him.

Gwil smiles, and walks over to him, carefully sitting down on the floor, adjusting his towel . He reaches out, gently rubbing Ben’s hip a couple times before he slips his hand up underneath Ben’s t-shirt. “Are you sleeping?” he asks softly, leaning down towards him Ben.

“No,” Ben says, gently petting the kitten’s paw, “I’m watching her.”

“And what is she doing?”

Ben smiles at that. “Being lovely,” he says.

“Oh, how nice,” Gwil says. “She must get that from you.”

Ben laughs, and then rolls onto his back, looking up at Gwil. “Since you think I’m so lovely,” he says, “I should tell you that while you were in the shower, I’ve been in here thinking about something.”

Gwil swallows, unsure of what Ben’s referring to. He hopes it’s nothing bad— ideas of Ben saying he’s not going to uni tomorrow briefly flash across his mind. “What’s that then?” he asks.

“Is it too soon to get another one?”

Gwil’s brow furrows. “Another what?”

“Another cat.”

Gwil looks at Ben, and then he laughs in surprise. “A— sorry, what? Another cat?” Ben nods. “Love, we— we’ve only had _her_ for _two_ days.”

“I know,” Ben says. “But I’m just thinking, and she’s so little, when we’re both out of the flat, she might be lonely.” He smiles at Gwil. “Don’t you want her to have a best mate to run around with?”

Gwil looks at Ben with amusement. “Are you trying to guilt me into it?” he asks.

“No,” Ben says, “I just want you to consider the possibility that she’ll be sad here, all by herself.” He grins.

Gwil snorts and shakes his head. “And which fairy will this one be named after?” he asks.

“Peaseblossom,” Ben says quickly, obviously having thought about it already, “but you can call her Blossom for short.”

“Oh, so it has to be another girl, does it?” Gwil asks.

“Well, it doesn’t _have_ to be,” Ben says. “But I wouldn’t mind it.”

Gwil smiles, and he shifts on the floor so that he can lay down next to Ben, curled up on his side. “And that would make you happy?” he asks.

Ben smiles. “It would help.”

Gwil leans in, giving him a kiss. “Should I ask Joe where he got Mussy from, then?”

Ben nods. “I’d really like it if you did.”

Gwil groans a bit, rolling onto his back. “Oh, I suppose we can. Why not? Everybody needs a best mate. And if it would make you happy…”

Ben pushes himself up a little bit. “We don’t have to do things just because they make _me_ happy, you know,” he says, looking down at Gwil. “If you don't want another one, we won’t get one, I’m alright.”

“I like making you happy,” Gwil says, and Ben smiles faintly.

“I know,” he says, “but this isn’t my flat, it’s _ours_ , and it’s not my cat, it’s _ours_ , and if you only want one, we’ll only have one.”

Gwil shifts on the floor, trying to catch the cat’s eye. “What do you think?” he asks softly. “Do you want someone else to play with?” He reaches out to her, taking away her crinkle ball, and her paw shoots out, claw catching on it. “Do you have a sister that you like?” The cat squeaks at him, and Gwil smiles. “I think that’s a yes,” he says, looking up at Ben.

“Is it?” Ben asks, smiling.

Gwil nods and reaches out, picking the kitten up, leaning down so his ear is by her mouth. “What’s that?” he looks at Ben. “Oh yes, he is handsome, isn’t he?” Ben rolls his eyes. “Oh, you like it here? That’s good, so do I. And tonight you can sleep with us? Oh lovely.”

“She’s chatty,” Ben says.

“She’s just absolutely raving about the place,” Gwil says.

“I’m sure.”

“You don’t hear it?” Ben just shakes his head. “Oh, well, it must just be me then.”

Ben smiles, reaching out to gently pet the kitten. “I’m glad she likes it then,” he says.

“Me too,” Gwil says, and he nuzzles against her.

They sit there for a few moments longer, until Ben finally sighs and pushes himself up. “If you plan on getting dressed anytime soon, I’ll go get supper ready.”

“Oh, you will, will you?” Gwil asks. “You’re cooking for me?”

“We have leftovers, Gwil,” Ben says. “And I know how to heat them up.”

“And what about for lunch tomorrow?” Gwil asks.

“Ha!” Ben says. “There’s a buffet for the department tomorrow. I’ll be fine.” He just shakes his head, walking out into the hallway. 

“What about supper tomorrow? Do you want me to make you something special for your first day?” Gwil calls after him, and Ben groans.

“You’re not my mum, Gwil!” he calls back, and Gwil laughs.

\+ + + + +

Ben murmurs quietly to himself, engrossed in the syllabus for one of his courses, his hand on the kitten’s stomach, gently petting her. He winces every once in awhile as she claws at him, but then he just shakes it off and goes back to petting her.

Gwil’s got his headphones in, a podcast playing on his mobile that he’s mostly paying attention to, while also scrolling through the Aberystwyth University’s website, as well as checking his email to hear back about a sister for Mustardseed.

Ben hums a couple notes, and then sighs, looking up to rub his eyes. He glances over at the table beside him, and then does a double take. He reaches out, picking up the ultrasound, and smiles faintly, examining the image. He tries to imagine what it’s going to be like when it’s an actual _person_ , and he can hold them and kiss them and teach them and sing to them…

Ben tilts the photo a bit, trying to see if he can decipher whether it’s a girl or a boy, and quickly realizes that he can’t, but he also knows it doesn’t matter. Either way, he’s going to be an uncle. He has pretty much zero experience with babies, but still, he can’t wait to meet this one. He reaches over to put the frame back on the table, and then he freezes, smiling. “Gwil,” he says, glancing over at him.

“Hmm?” Gwil reaches up, taking his headphones out, and then he smiles. “That’s lovely.”

Ben nods, watching the lamp change colours, getting brighter, and then Gwil makes a quiet noise of amusement.

“Joe’s messaging us,” Gwil says, and Ben looks over. “He wants to know if it’s worked.”

Ben smiles. “Tell him it has. He’ll be so chuffed.” He looks back at the lamp, reaching out to set the frame down, and then he gently runs his fingers over the lamp. “Tell him we’re thinking of them too.”

“Alright,” Gwil says, and he types out his reply. He looks over at Mustardseed, and he shifts on the sofa, leaning down so that his hair falls over his forehead a bit and she starts to play with it, and then he pulls back and she reaches out, and Gwil laughs and leans in close again. He gives her a quick kiss and then pulls back, petting her, letting her claw at his hand. “Love,” he says suddenly, and Ben looks over again. “That journal Joe gave you.” Ben just looks at him. “I didn’t realize— do you write? I’ve never seen you with one.”

Ben just shakes his head. “No,” he says, “I…I don’t. I haven’t for awhile, anyway.”

“No?” Gwil asks, and he sits back, lifting Mustardseed onto his lap, then stretching his legs out on the sofa. 

“No,” Ben says. “I— when we were packing, Joe found an old journal of mine. From uni.”

“Oh,” Gwil says, nodding. “It’s a lovely hobby.”

“It is, yeah,” Ben says. “I don’t know. I had a professor, my first year, and he said that he regretted not keeping a journal when he was young so he could look back at all the things he’d done and how he’d changed, so I started keeping one. Sort of…stopped, though. I guess Joe wants me to start again.”

“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Gwil says, smiling, scratching at the kitten.

Ben bites on the inside of his lip, and then shifts on the sofa, bringing his feet up so that he can turn towards Gwil. “I stopped writing when I…when things started getting worse.”

“Oh,” Gwil says, losing his smile. “That’s…I’m sorry, love.”

“I think I could tell things were going badly, and I just didn’t want to face it on paper,” Ben says. “It seemed easier to ignore. I’m not sure if I should keep them or not.”

Gwil shrugs. “I don’t know. Only you would know that.”

“I don’t know why I’ve kept them so long to begin with,” Ben says. “I think I just stuck them on my bookshelf and forgot about them.” He leans forward, reaching forward to pet Mustardseed, and then sits back, bringing his knees up, resting on them. “If I read them, would you read them?”

“I…don’t know, love,” Gwil says. “If you wanted me to, I certainly would, of course. But I don’t need to.”

Ben nods slowly. “If I threw them out, would you—”

“I’d find a lighter and set them on fire for you,” Gwil says, and Ben grins. “And I’m also happy to just let them sit on our bookshelf, unread, until you decide.”

“What’s that?” Ben asks, cocking his head to the side a bit.

Gwil’s brow furrows. “What’s what?”

“What’s that about _our_ bookshelf?” Ben asks, and he shifts on the sofa, moving closer to Gwil. “I think you’ll find it’s _my_ bookshelf.” He crawls forward, up and over Gwil’s legs.

“No,” Gwil says, shaking his head. He carefully lifts the cat up out of the way, reaching out to set her down on the floor, resting his hands on Ben’s hips. 

“No?” Ben asks.

“No,” Gwil says, smiling. He leans up, giving Ben a kiss. “This is our flat. And that’s _our_ bookshelf now.”

“You’re just dating me for my things,” Ben says, settling on Gwil’s lap.

“Yes, absolutely,” Gwil says, and he starts playing with the strings on Ben’s hoodie. “The first time I was in your flat and saw that shelf, I just thought, _that has to be mine_.” He laughs and kisses Ben again. “We live together now, love.” Ben nods. “Our best mates have gone home, we’re here, together. Just you and me. You doing alright?”

“Yes,” Ben says, shifting so that he can snuggle against Gwil’s chest. “So far, so good. Though you kept me very busy this afternoon, so maybe I haven’t had that much time to think.” He pulls back a bit, and gives Gwil a quick kiss, before snuggling back against him.

“Should we go to bed?” Gwil asks, running his hands up and down Ben’s back.

“No, why?” Ben murmurs. “It’s so early.”

“It’s not _that_ early,” Gwil says. “And you’ve got to be on campus for nine tomorrow.”

Ben whines, burying his face in Gwil’s shirt, and Gwil laughs, rubbing Ben’s back some more. “Come on, love,” Gwil says, and he sits up a bit, Ben moving with him. “By the time we get ready for bed, and you get your things ready for tomorrow, and we get all settled in with Mustardseed, it’ll be getting on.”

Ben sighs, looking at Gwil. “Are you _making_ me go to bed?” he asks, curling his hands into Gwil’s shirt.

Gwil smiles. “Do I _have_ to?” he asks, voice low. He leans in, his mouth by Ben’s ear. “Or are you going to be good?”

Ben nods, and wraps his arms around Gwil’s shoulders, and then Gwil presses a series of loud, wet kisses over Ben’s neck, tickling him with his beard, making Ben laugh loudly. “Okay, okay!” he says, pulling back. “Okay. Let’s go to bed.” He climbs off Gwil’s lap and leans down, picking up the kitten, holding her against his chest.

“Good lad,” Gwil says, picking up his mobile, headphones, and Ben’s laptop, before following behind him.

They brush their teeth and wash up, getting ready for bed, and Ben climbs in first, holding Mustardseed on his lap, watching as Gwil undresses before sliding in under the sheets next to him.

“Going to sleep well tonight?” Gwil asks.

Ben makes a quiet noise, stretching out a bit. “I hope so,” he says, petting the kitten, watching her knead her paws against the sheets. “Probably not. Being too anxious to sleep when you know you need to rest is…well.”

Gwil smiles and rolls onto his side, giving Ben a kiss. “Just close your eyes,” he murmurs, reaching out to give Mustardseed a gentle pet as well. “It’ll be alright.”

Ben nods, and snuggles a bit closer to Gwil, taking a deep breath. “I’ll try,” he says softly. “Hopefully she won’t be too loud.”

Gwil chuckles softly. “I’m sure she’ll be fast asleep in a moment, and so will you.” He kisses Ben’s cheek. “Goodnight, love,” he whispers, “I’ll be right here,” and Ben makes a quiet noise.

\+ + + + +

Gwil laughs a bit when he looks up from the dining table, Ben’s footsteps stumbling down the stairs. “Are you awake?” he asks, and Ben just narrows his eyes at him.

“I will be,” he mutters, and Gwil grins. 

“You’re a lovely morning person,” Gwil says, and Ben just keeps glaring at him. “Shall we be off, then?” he asks. “Or do you need a bit longer?”

Ben groans and makes a face, looking around. “Where Mustard?” he asks.

“Just under the sofa,” Gwil says. “At least, that’s where I left her.”

“Oh,” Ben says. He sighs a bit, and reaches up, adjusting the straps of his backpack. “Do I look alright?” he asks.

“Beautiful,” Gwil says.

Ben smiles faintly. “But do I look alright for uni?”

“Absolutely,” Gwil says, “I promise.”

Ben reaches up again, tugging on the strap of his bag, and then he nods. “Yeah, alright,” he says. “I’m a bit hungry, though.”

“Starbucks,” Gwil says, smiling. 

“That’s a bad habit for me to get into,” Ben says.

“Well, we’ll have a proper breakfast tomorrow,” Gwil says, standing up. “I promise.”

Ben smiles, and looks around. “Mustard!” he calls out. “I’m leaving now.” He walks over to the sofa and sits down, leaning down. “I see you,” he says softly. Then he looks back up at Gwil. “Have we heard back from Cate?” he asks. 

“Not yet,” Gwil says, “but it is only early.”

“Will you let me know?” Ben asks. “If you hear back? If we’re going to get another one, I’d like to be there to meet them.”

“Of course,” Gwil says. “Though, I’m not sure your mobile should be on at uni.”

“Oh god,” Ben mutters, standing up, and Gwil laughs. “Okay, bye Mustard,” he says. “Have a lovely day. Gwil will be home soon to take care of you.”

“That I will,” Gwil says, and they walk over to the door, both of them getting their shoes on, and they both make sure they’ve got everything they need, and Gwil opens the door, letting Ben walk down the stairs first. “Be safe!” Gwil calls behind him, pulling the door closed, and they head outside.

Ben takes a deep breath of the fresh morning air, feeling a bit of a chill, and they walk down the street, going into the Starbucks. Gwil orders a coffee, and Ben gets a coffee and a bagel, chewing down on it as the two of them start the walk to campus. They don’t talk much as Ben devours his breakfast, but once he’s finished eating and gets a bit of coffee in him, he seems a bit cheerier.

“I think the library tour will be the most interesting,” Ben says, and Gwil smiles.

“I’m sure you do,” Gwil says.

“Oh, I do need my ID,” Ben says, “that’s on the list as well.”

“And the bookshop,” Gwil says. He reaches out, gently squeezing Ben’s hand. “Have you got enough money for all your texts?” he asks softly, and Ben swallows hard, and then nods. “Alright,” he says, clearing his throat. “What sorts of presentations do you have to go to today?” 

Ben shrugs. “One on plagiarism,” he says. 

“Yes, that’s you,” Gwil says, “a terrible thief of other people’s works.”

Ben laughs softly. “I’m absolutely awful for it. Joe really wrote all my policies and reports.”

Gwil snorts at that, making a quiet noise of amusement. They walk a bit longer, and Gwil gently clears his throat. “Do me a favour?” he asks, looking over at Ben. “Just when you’re on campus today, if you get a chance.”

Ben nods, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Find out where the School of Art is for me, would you?”

Ben frowns, and he takes his drink away from his mouth. “I…uh, certainly can.”

“Thank you,” Gwil says.

“Uh, can I ask why though?” Ben asks.

Gwil smiles at Ben. “Well, I’ll need to know where to go for my course, won’t I?”

Ben stops walking, staring at Gwil in shock. “I’m sorry, you— your— really? What? _When_? What course? You picked one?”

Gwil lets out a breath, nodding. “I suppose I did, yes. I can’t stay in the flat all day, hiding, can I?”

“I don’t know,” Ben says, “you’ve been doing a pretty good job of it so far.” He shrieks and then laughs when Gwil playfully lunges towards him. “I swear to god, Gwil, if I spill my coffee…”

“Oh yes, tragedy,” Gwil says.

“Well?” Ben asks as they start to walk again. “What’s the course? When is it? You can’t just tease like that you know.”

“It starts on Thursday,” Gwil says.

“ _And_?”

Gwil grins at Ben’s impatience. “It’s— well, you’ll probably think it’s silly.”

“That sounds like what I usually say to you,” Ben says. “I’m sure it’s not. What is it?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it—”

“So?” Ben asks. “What is it, come on now.”

Gwil looks down for a moment. “It’s, uh— botanical illustration.”

Ben looks at Gwil, and smiles slowly. “So…drawing flowers.”

“Well, not _just_ that,” Gwil says. “It’s the, uh,” he waves his hand, “scientific approach to drawing plants. Accurately, and labeling them. For research purposes. It requires understanding the morphology of plants, and identifying key features of plants, so you can tell what stage of its lifecycle it’s in.” He looks over at Ben nervously. “Does it sound silly?”

“Are you kidding?” Ben asks. “Gwil, I— it sounds brilliant. Are you joking? God, it’s up your alley if anything ever was.” He grins. “I just— I didn’t know you could draw.”

Gwil shrugs. “I’m not sure that I can, really. I’ve— quick sketches in my notes on the Mercury, that sort of thing.”

Ben smiles. “My boyfriend, the artist.”

“No,” Gwil says, but Ben continues.

“My boyfriend, the _painter_.”

“Hardly.”

“It sounds really great,” Ben says. “When did you say it starts?”

“Thursday. Every Thursday, for four hours. For a few weeks.” Gwil smiles at Ben. “Depending on your schedule, maybe we can get lunch together, or.” He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

Ben grins, and reaches out, taking Gwil’s hand. “I’m really happy you picked something.”

“Yeah?” Gwil asks.

Ben nods. “Yeah,” he says. “I— I wasn’t imagining _painting_ , but…that’s…you love flowers. That’s such a good idea for you.”

“Good,” Gwil says, and he smiles back. “I know I should’ve talked to you before I signed up and spent the money, but—”

“Why?” Ben asks. “It’s your money, spend it how you like. It’s not like you’re at risk of running out.”

“Well, still,” Gwil says. “We live together now, and we’re partners, and I…just should’ve mentioned it.”

Ben looks at Gwil, and then smiles faintly. “Well, I…okay. Sure. No, okay. We can talk about that. I like that. _Partners_. Not just boyfriends anymore?”

Gwil shakes his head. “Well, you can certainly call me whatever you’d like, but I— boyfriend doesn’t sound strong enough to me anymore, does it?”

Ben smiles at Gwil. “No, I— I guess not. And as your partner, I’m alright with you signing up for the course. It’s a good idea, and I think it’s an excellent use of your time, and I think you’ll really enjoy it.”

“You approve?”

“Absolutely,” Ben says, nodding, and then he laughs a bit. “I…Rami’s going to love that. He’ll die when you tell him.”

“He will be excited, I imagine,” Gwil says. “I think he’s very worried about how I spend my time.”

“He just cares,” Ben says. “Same as me. Well, maybe a little different than me.” He winks at Gwil, and takes a sip of his coffee.

They walk the rest of the way to the campus, sharing the sidewalk with other students heading in the same direction, and Gwil stops, squeezing Ben’s hand as they get to the entrance. “Do you need me to pick you up later?” Gwil asks. “What time are you done?”

“I’m done at five,” Ben says, “but no, I— I should be alright to walk back alone,” he says. “No need for you to come all the way here again. Thank you though.”

“Okay,” Gwil says. “I’ll make sure supper’s ready then,” he says. “I’ll want to hear all about your day, and I’m sure Rami and Joe will too.”

Ben makes a quiet noise, nodding. “I’m sure,” he says.

“Alright.” Gwil leans in, giving him a quick, but soft and gentle kiss. “So I’ll see you at home later then?” he asks, pulling back.

Ben settles back on his feet, and slowly smiles at Gwil. “Yeah,” he says softly, nodding. “I guess I’ll see you at home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it! Gwil, and Ben, and Mustardseed (sister to come) are all settled in Wales, and they'll be quite happy there - they miss their best mates, but they'll all be alright, I promise it very much. Rami and Joe will be okay too - and they'll be married so soon, they're a bit distracted anyway.
> 
> thank you so much for reading, it's always so appreciated to know that I'm not the only who cares about this little world 🧡


End file.
